


Because I Love You

by winterk723



Series: Avengers: Endgame Untold [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Age Difference, Canon Compliant, F/M, M/M, Mild Language, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter is 18, Power Imbalance, Protective Tony Stark, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:27:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 61,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23128540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterk723/pseuds/winterk723
Summary: Tony Stark was alive. He had survived the Infinity Stones.Just when he believed that his days of Iron Man were over, a new evil arises, threatening to destroy the entire universe-starting with the one he loves most. Will Tony be able to defeat this new villain? And how will he handle the realization that the person he loves most isn’t who he thought it would be?_____A canon-compliant fanfic that takes place after Endgame.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Series: Avengers: Endgame Untold [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1843795
Comments: 102
Kudos: 351





	1. Please Don’t Go

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This idea has been rattling around in my brain for months ever since I saw Endgame! Although the writers gave Iron Man an amazing and worthy ending, I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he survived... So, this story takes place right at the battle and more or less follows it through Thanos being defeated and then goes off. This story will be told in Peter and Tony’s perspective and is basically Canon Compliant. 
> 
> Important Note: this story will show the progression of a romantic relationship between Peter Parker and Tony Stark. For that reason, I must highlight that in my story, Peter will be 18 biologically, even though The Snap places him in his early 20s. I also urge everyone to read the tags because there will be sexual content in my story and I have rated it as Mature to be safe! So read at your own risk! That being said, I hope everyone enjoys this story and please do not hesitate to leave comments for me! I enjoy reading them! 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however the story is entirely my own.

His head was pounding. Definitely a migraine. He held his hand out in front of him to block the harsh light beaming down on him. 

There was movement to his right and he turned to see a man dressed in dark blue robes and a deep red cape. _Dr. Strange._

The older man offered him a hand and he quickly accepted, allowing himself to be pulled up on unsteady legs.

“M-Mr. Strange,” he asked uncertainly. “What’s happening?” 

They seemed to be standing in a graveyard of old, alien spaceships, surrounded by dust and debris. 

Doctor Strange shook his head. “No time to explain. We need to get to the others.” 

“Others? W-what others?” The older man walked off, ignoring him completely. “Mr. Strange,” he called out, but he received no reply. Biting his lip, he followed after him, not knowing what else to do.

When he heard a deep roar in the distance, he ran, leaping nimbly over scraps of metal until he came across the strange sight of a red cape restraining a man with equally red tattoos coating his entire body… _Drax_?

“I’ll kill him! I’ll kill Thanos!” The warrior was screaming, his fists tightly clenched around sharp daggers, restrained by a surprisingly strong piece of fabric. 

Doctor Strange held up his hands placatingly. “You will have your opportunity. But first, we must find your friends.”

This seemed to be enough to calm the warrior and the red cape released him, returning to its home atop Doctor Strange’s shoulders. 

Their heads turned when they heard a faint call. The trio raced towards the feminine voice until they found a girl with large eyes and glowing antennae coughing weakly… _Mantis_?

Drax ran over to her and helped her stand on her feet. He seemed relieved to find the young woman alive and well. She placed a delicate hand on the warrior’s broad shoulder. “I am… fine,” she assured him, her breath returning slowly.

Doctor Strange glanced around. “Where is Mr. Quill?”

Mantis turned her head, her eyes moving to rest on a man hunched over, his hands desperately clutching his head. As the group moved closer to him, they could hear his faint mumbling. “What did I do? What did I do?”

Doctor Strange was the first to speak. “Mr. Quill,” he said, his voice cold and clinical. “I am sorry for your loss, but we need to go. Thanos has amassed an army and will unleash it upon the world unless we stop him.”

Quill turned to look at his friends and allies, his eyes bloodshot. “I’m gonna kill that bastard.”

Doctor Strange offered a thin smile and turned to the boy beside him. “Are you ready, Peter?”

“For what?” Peter had no idea what was going on. The last thing he could remember was him and Ned on a school bus and seeing a giant spaceship outside the window. He told his friend to provide a distraction and jumped out of the emergency exit and then… _oh no_.

The battle. He and Mr. Stark were fighting the children of Thanos. They followed Mr. Strange onto a spaceship and came to this planet where they found the Guardians and fought Thanos. But they failed and then… 

Peter whipped around. “Wait. D-Did I die? Am I dead? Are we all ghosts and-”

Doctor Strange held out his hand. “I can assure you, you are very much alive. But not for long if we do not go _right now_.”

As Mr. Strange began to create a portal, his hands moving dramatically to form a circle of golden light, Peter cried out. “Wait.” The older man sighed and stopped. “What is it?”

Peter looked around, a pit beginning to form in his stomach. “Where is Mr. Stark?”

Doctor Strange looked at the boy and said as delicately as he was able, “It has been five years since our fight with Thanos.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “Five _years_?” A sickening question popped into his head. One that he was terrified to ask, but had to know. “I-is Mr. Stark… ?”

Doctor Strange nodded, knowing what he was trying to voice. “Yes, yes. He is still alive.” Peter breathed a sigh of relief. “But not for much longer.” He looked up, his heart stopping. “We need to go. _Now_.”

Before Peter could ask what the older man meant, a portal appeared. Silently, the Guardians and Doctor Strange walked through, determination clear in every step. Peter watched them go and took a deep breath. _I’m coming, Mr. Stark_.

Peter swung through the portal.  
____________________  
_Ow_. His entire body radiated pain and his eyelids were growing heavy. He wanted to go to sleep, but FRIDAY was making that very difficult for him with her incessant chatter in his head. 

Today was not going well. 

Losing Nat hurt. She was one of his oldest friends and one of the few people in the universe who knew about his dark, ugly side and didn’t hate him for it. He was going to miss her, not that he would ever admit it aloud. 

Being beaten to a bloody pulp by one of the most powerful beings in the universe hurt more, based on the sharp pain that pulsed throughout his body when he breathed.

Why was he doing this? He didn’t have to figure out time travel. He could have just stayed home with Pepper and Morgan, sledding in the winter and eating juice pops in the summer. If he had, none of this would have happened. The world would have mourned and moved on and he would have gotten to watch his daughter grow up. 

But not anymore. Tony was going to die, if FRIDAY’s panicked voice in his eardrum was any indication. He had no strength to move. He could not even find the energy to open his eyes to see if Thor and Cap were still alive. 

_I’m sorry, Morgan_. He let himself drift away… and then groaned. He could hear something.

Battle cries.

They grew louder, echoing across the scorched wasteland until they reached his ears. He grumbled internally. Of course he would not be allowed to die in peace. It was just his luck. 

He gritted his teeth and used whatever strength he had left to stand, although the heavy weight of his suit did not help. He would have to fix that later, if he even survived long enough to see later. But once he was on his feet, he had to stare in awe at the sight in front of him. 

Hundreds of warriors and heroes from who knew how many galaxies were standing together, ready to defend this hunk of rock he called home. _Well, I guess the plan worked_ , he thought. _We brought everyone back_.

But he didn’t dare let his eyes search for a kid in an Iron Spider suit. He couldn’t let himself linger on the possibility. There was a massive alien army a couple hundred feet away and he had to focus.

He could hear his heart pounding rapidly in his ears in the eerie calm before the battle. And as soon as Cap gave the orders, he fired up his rockets, taking to the skies. 

He was firing rays left and right, but it seemed like every bug he zapped, two more would replace it. At one point, he recognized a particular iron suit flying past him that he designed specifically for Pepper in case she ever needed to protect herself. He wanted to scream at her, tell her to get the hell away from here. One of them needed to survive this and get back to Morgan and he would make sure it was Pepper. But she was already gone, blasting a particularly ugly child of Thanos in the head.

He didn’t pause for a moment, just kept firing. He didn’t let his mind wander to the fact that he hadn’t seen Strange or any of those freaks from the Guardians yet. He didn’t let himself think of the possibility that maybe not everyone came back. Maybe some were still gone forever… 

A sickening realization made him stop mid-battle.

Tony would never listen to the kid’s ridiculous pop culture references again. Or see his goofy grin on his face. Or hear his contagious laughter… 

He let himself get distracted. He was unprepared when a giant troll came swinging a blade at his head. He quickly fired at the beast, but his attacks seemed useless and he fell into a pile of debris. _So this is how I die_ , he thought. _By an oversized garden gnome_.

But the death he was bracing for never came. He opened his eyes to find that a familiar spider web was holding back the blow that was sure to kill him. The troll was pulled back by the web and fell to the ground, only to be crushed by a giant foot. 

A boy was standing on top of a pile of debris a few yards away, his back to the setting sun. He didn’t let himself believe, not even as the kid jumped gracefully from the pile and leapt to him with agility and speed. Not even as a hand was gripping his arm and pulling him up. Not even as he let his iron mask retract and he was staring at the face that resided in so many of his dreams, calling out to him. Tormenting him. 

“Hey!” Just that simple word left him stunned.

“Oh, holy cow! You will not believe what’s been going on.” Tony could feel a disbelieving smile tug up the corners of his lips.

“Do you remember when we were in space? A-And I got all dusty? And-I must have passed out because I woke up and you were gone, but-Doctor Strange was there, right? And he was like, ‘It’s been five years. Come on, they need us,’ and then he started doing that yellow sparkly thing that he does all the time and-What are you doing?”

“Kid.” His voice broke on that single word. He couldn’t take it anymore. He needed this to be real. He needed to know that this wasn’t some illusion that his messed up mind conjured to play tricks on him. He needed to know that this was really Peter.

He wrapped his arms around the kid’s smaller frame, burying his face into his neck, wishing that they both didn’t have metal armor on so that he could feel his warmth. He could hear the kid mumble something about this being “nice”, but he didn’t particularly care. Peter was here and not disintegrating in his hands, tears filling his eyes as he _apologized_ of all things. Peter was solid and warm and soft and he missed him _so much_.

A scream of pain as one of Thanos’ children was run through with a blade brought them back to reality. Tony hesitantly let go of the kid, wishing that he was anywhere but here. 

“You do not leave my side. Understood?” 

The kid looked as though he were about to argue, but seeing the resolution in the older man’s features, he nodded. 

Tony hesitated, not sure if he should give FRIDAY the command to send the kid back to his own penthouse in Manhattan, far away from any danger. He had already experienced the kid dying in his arms once, he didn’t need to go through that again. He still had nightmares of clawing out the dust from underneath his fingernails. The memory caused him to shudder. 

He gave the kid a hard stare, one that promised punishment if he left his side. Tony turned back to the battle still raging.

He could see Thanos in the distance, cutting down Wakandan forces as though they were wheat in a field. That purple bastard took Peter away from him. He was going to pay for that.  
___________________  
Peter had never been so happy in his entire life.

_Mr. Stark hugged him_. One of the most influential and powerful men in the world hugged _him_. Standing on that battlefield, a war being waged all around them, Peter had never felt more safe and protected than in those arms. 

As he flew through the air, dodging every weapon that was thrown at him, he remembered the way Mr. Stark had felt. Solid. Warm. Unbreakable. 

He gladly would have died again as long as he was in Mr. Stark’s arms-and that is the part that scares him. He _did_ die, and although he didn’t want to, he wasn’t scared because Mr. Stark was there, holding him and telling him that everything would be fine even though they both knew it wouldn’t be. 

It’s also the reason why he wasn’t scared now, because Mr. Stark was with him. 

He didn’t let the implications of that sink in. He had to focus on the battle raging around him and not on the way that Mr. Stark was protecting him from the brunt of the attacks, shielding him from harm as they sliced their way through Thanos’ forces. 

They were heading straight towards the titan himself when Peter happened to see in his periphery the Black Panther being swept up into a crushing hold made of rocks and debris. The Wakandan King was being brought to one of Thanos’ children. And he had the gauntlet with him. Peter could see the stones winking at him from where he stood. 

Peter didn’t hesitate. He moved swiftly, swinging himself towards the Black Panther. He could hear Mr. Stark call his name, but he ignored the cry. _I’m sorry, Mr. Stark_ , he thought. _But Thanos can’t get the stones again_.

He cleared the distance quickly and shot out a web, latching onto the gauntlet. As soon as he landed, Peter was surrounded by enemy forces. He took a deep breath. _I got this_.

“Activate instant kill,” he ordered KAREN. She obliged instantly and Peter could feel more than see the suit’s spider legs extend from behind him, slicing through Thanos’ children with deadly efficiency. 

“I got this. I-I got this.” More and more forces poured over him and Peter couldn’t block them all. “Okay, I don’t got this.” He was beginning to panic. “Help! Somebody help!”

From his comms, Peter suddenly heard Captain America say, “Hey, Queens. Heads up.”

_Huh_? He looked around the jumbled limbs that were clawing at him to see a giant hammer flying towards him. On instinct, he reached up and shot a web at the handle, feeling himself being pulled from the hoarde. 

He shot through the sky until his web was cut by one of the rays from the spaceship above that Thanos had unleashed upon the battlefield. Just as he began to fall towards the ground, a hand wrapped around his wrist and he was pulled upwards yet again. He looked to see none other than Pepper Potts, Mr. Starks wife, in an iron suit of her own, flying through the air. 

Peter could not help but feel a tinge of jealousy when he saw this woman. He loved Pepper. She was kind, considerate, and patient. He didn’t understand why he was envious of her. She had nothing that he wanted-at least… nothing that he could _realistically_ want. But regardless of whatever he told himself, he still could not help the jealousy he felt when he looked at Mrs. Potts. 

Peter was flung upwards, until he landed on what looked like a flying horse with wings. A woman dressed in silver armor with her dark haired pulled back into a braid was steering the animal. “Hey, nice to meet you. I’m-oh my god!” 

The horse dove down rapidly to avoid more of the rays from Thanos’ ship and although Peter was used to flying through the air, his stomach did somersaults and he swallowed back down the bile that was rising in his throat. The woman was expertly navigating the horse through the field of deadly rays when one particularly strong blast landed right in front of them and Peter was thrown off the horse. 

He shot out a web to catch the falling gauntlet he had released when he fell. He wrapped his hands around the metal and clutched it to him as his body hit the ground. He quickly picked himself up and began to run across the battlefield, dodging the rays that continued to rain down from the giant spaceship. But one landed right in front of him, throwing him backwards, the blast causing his suit’s spider legs to be ripped off. 

More rays continued to rain down all around him. He cried out and curled into a ball, protecting his head with his arms as dust and debris from each explosion entered his eyes and his mouth. He couldn’t hear anything over the deafening blasts that shattered his overly sensitive eardrums. 

He didn’t want to be here. He wanted to be home. Eating Aunt May’s spicy mexican food or building another lego model with Ned. He wanted to be with MJ, the two of them preparing for the scholastics decathlon. He wanted to be with Mr. Stark in his lab, helping him with one of his awesome inventions and spending the entire night running through new designs for their suits… 

The last thought popped into his head unbidden. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it, but he knew now was not the time. He was probably going to die on this field, surrounded by death and destruction. 

One of the Avengers would probably find his body. He would be brought to Aunt May and she would mourn over his death. There would be a funeral for him. It would be nice. Ned and MJ would say a few words about him while Aunt May cried silently next to his casket. 

Maybe Mr. Stark would come. Maybe he would wrap an arm around Aunt May as he stared silently at Peter’s lifeless body. Would he cry? Peter hoped he would. Maybe not at the funeral, but in the privacy of his own luxurious car as Happy quietly drove back to the Manhattan penthouse. Maybe Mr. Stark would drink himself into a stupor that night to forget about Peter’s death. Maybe he would grieve and mourn for a few days by himself before returning to the Avenger’s compound, pretending nothing was wrong as Bruce and Rhodey questioned him. Maybe he would move on and forget all about Peter and go back to Pepper as though nothing happened. 

Peter’s heart was pounding. Would Mr. Stark forget about him if he died? Treat his death as insignificant? That couldn’t happen. It wouldn’t happen. He would make sure of that. He was determined to survive this as more rays fired down around him, forcing him to curl his body even tighter. 

Just as Peter thought that the explosions would never end, the ship suddenly stopped firing and the field turned eerily quiet. Although his ears were ringing inside his skull, Peter hesitantly looked up to find that something was flying straight towards the spaceship and it wasn’t slowing down. He stared wide eyed as a glowing light shot straight through the metal body of the ship, causing a chain of fiery explosions to bring the alien spacecraft down towards the ground. 

Peter startled. The glowing light was heading straight towards _him_. It landed straight in front of him and his eyes bulged when he saw that the light was a woman. Her blond hair and fierce expression terrified and amazed him. Clutching the gauntlet to his chest, he stuttered out, “Hi. I-I’m Peter Parker.”

She lifted an eyebrow and smiled at him. “Hey, Peter Parker. You got something for me?”

Peter groaned as he pushed himself to stand, his entire body screaming at the movement. He looked out across Thanos’ army. There were so many. “I don’t know how you’re going to get it through all of that,” he said as he handed the woman the gauntlet. 

“Don’t worry.” Peter turned to see Wanda land in front of him, eyes glowing red with fury and determination. One of the Wakandan warriors walks up to them. “She’s got help.” Peter had seen her before, he just couldn’t place her name. But he didn’t really care. He was so tired. He just needed to find Mr. Stark. 

He left them to tackle the army while he retreated to find Mr. Stark amidst the chaos.  
____________________  
Tony was furious with Peter. Before he could even react, the kid had disappeared, running to the Wakandan King’s aid instead of staying beside him like he had promised. Every minute that passed where he didn’t see the kid only added to the growing anxiety that was slowly consuming him from the inside out.

He had lost Peter in the chaotic battle field and, unable to find him, Tony forced himself onwards, further away from the kid. He had no idea if they were going to survive this, the odds seemed highly unlikely. But Strange said they would win, and he had to believe the wizard. 

But it was growing increasingly difficult as Tony watched Thanos blow up the one time machine they had left, the explosion sending him flying, his back slamming onto the ground. He groaned as he lifted one of Thanos’ children from on top of him, his lip curling in disgust at the dead carcass. He glanced around and his eyes landed on the gauntlet, the stones taunting him. 

He watched the realization on Thanos’ face as he, too, noticed the gauntlet on the ground. Tony didn’t hesitate and threw his body at the purple bastard, but he was quickly knocked back, the hit to his ribcage sending him several yards away. Tony could hear Thor and Cap battling Thanos in the distance. It didn’t sound like they were winning. 

He used what little strength he had left to lift his head, only to see Thanos standing alone with the gauntlet. He quickly glanced around the field. The only one he could see still standing was the wizard. Strange gave him a meaningful stare and held up a single, trembling finger. And Tony knew then that this was the one out of millions that they would win. He knew what he would have to do, he just _really_ didn’t want to do it.

Thanos put the last stone back in the gauntlet, gritting his teeth as the incredible power surged through his body. Tony made his move, knowing that this would be his one chance now that the bastard was distracted. 

He crossed the distance and grabbed the gauntlet, locking gazes with Thanos as he was pummeled by his massive fists. One particularly powerful his to his jaw sent him flying backwards, but he had what he needed. 

He watched as Thanos slid the gauntlet back onto his hand and smiled at him. “I am inevitable.” He watched as Thanos snapped his fingers. And he watched as Thanos’ expression turned to one of confusion when nothing happened. He watched as Thanos looked to the gauntlet to see that the stones were no longer in their places upon the metal glove.

Tony took a deep breath and put the stones in his own Iron Man suit. The pain was excruciating, but he refused to let it show as the overwhelming power slowly tore through his entire body. His heart was pounding so hard he thought it was going to burst out of his chest. He smiled at the purple bastard. “And I,” he said, gritting his teeth. “Am… Iron Man.” With every ounce of will he had left, he snapped his fingers.

He watched as Thanos and his entire army disintegrated into nothing but dust. He couldn’t concentrate on anything else. The pain was nothing he had ever felt before and he knew that this was it. Once he was sure that Thanos was gone, Tony collapsed onto the ground, focusing on his last few breaths before death. He couldn’t speak, he couldn’t move. All he could do was stare at everything and nothing. 

He saw Rhodey land before him. His best friend, who always looked out for him. Tony faintly smiled as Rhodey knelt down beside him and rested a hand on his head. Tony stared into his eyes, trying to voice without speaking how much he would miss him. His smile vanished, however, when he heard a shaky voice call out for him. “M-Mr. Stark?”

No. _No no no no no_. He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be seeing this. But Tony could only watch as Peter knelt down in front of him, tears already filling his eyes. “Hey.” Now that Tony could see the kid’s face up close, battered and bloodied, he desperately wanted to ask if he was okay. He wanted to comfort the kid. Tell him everything was going to be alright. If only his damn mouth would move!

“Mr. Stark,” Peter grabbed his hand and Tony had never wished harder for anything than in that moment for him to be able to squeeze back. “Can you hear me? I-It’s Peter.” Tony wanted to say that he would recognize the kid anywhere-just by the sound of his voice.

Peter lowered his voice into a broken whisper. “Hey. We won, Mr. Stark.” Peter placed a hand on his chest and Tony wished that his suit wasn’t on him so that he could feel the kid’s warmth one last time. “We won, Mr. Stark.” 

Tony’s weak heart shattered even more hearing the kid’s voice crack. “We won. You did it, sir. You did it.” Tony wanted to drag Peter’s body forward and crush him against his chest. He wanted to wipe the tears that were now beginning to fall freely down his face. He wanted to have so many more days with this kid. Months. _Years_. He hadn’t nearly had enough time to praise and worship this kid properly. He would give anything to just have Peter by his side. 

And he wanted to protest when Peter was being gently pulled away from him. “I’m sorry, Tony.” His heart almost stopped altogether when he heard the kid say his name. Peter had never said it before. He wanted to hear Peter say it many more times. He didn’t want this to be the last. 

He tried to move his arms to grab the kid, but he couldn’t and Tony had to watch as Peter turned away from him, crying and whimpering. _No. Don’t go_. But Peter was already moving further away from him and another person was stepping towards him. He desperately tried to turn his head to catch one last glimpse of Peter before he died. Disheveled hair. Tear-stained cheeks. Shimmering, brown eyes. Then Peter was gone. _No_.

But now Pepper was in front of him, smiling weakly. “Hey.” She stared into his eyes and he tried to communicate everything in that one exchange. _Tell Morgan that I love her. Tell her that I didn’t want to leave her, but I had no choice. Tell her I’m sorry_.

But Pepper didn’t respond to any of what he was saying. “FRIDAY?” 

“Life functions critical.” Tony had never felt so helpless than in that moment. Lying there in agony, unable to speak or move. 

He sighed internally and smiled at his wife. He did not regret it. Any of it. He had had a good life with her. He wished he could see Morgan grow up, but she would have Pepper for that. She didn’t need her father. She would grow to be a strong and independent woman. No, Morgan he did not regret. 

“Tony. Look at me.” His eyes slowly slid towards hers. “We’re gonna be okay. You can rest now.” He knew that he wasn’t needed anymore. They would all be fine without him. His regret was not leaving them. _It’s leaving him_.

Tony Stark closed his eyes.  
____________________  
Peter let the hot tears stream down his cheeks. He let the soft whimpers escape his throat. He watched as Mr. Stark closed his eyes. His heart felt as though it were bursting into a million pieces when he saw the glowing arc reactor in the Iron Man suit fade and wink out completely. 

His legs lost all strength and he collapsed to the ground, his knees hitting the earth with a harsh thud. Sobs racked his entire body and his vision blurred. 

He should have stayed by Mr. Stark’s side like he said he would. Maybe if he had done what he was told for _once in his life_ , than Mr. Stark would still be alive and he wouldn’t be left with this overwhelming pain. What was he supposed to do? Go back to his small apartment with Aunt May and pretend nothing happened? She didn’t even know he was alive. For her, he had been dead for five years. How could he possibly be expected to go back to being a friendly, neighborhood Spiderman? 

And the answer was simple: he didn’t want to go back. He didn’t want to go back to his old life. He wanted to be a full-time Avenger and live in the compound and fight epic battles and tinker around in the lab with Mr. Stark and-

Peter sucked in a breath. He couldn’t do any of that. Mr. Stark was dead and he was still alive. He won’t be able to be an Avenger without Mr. Stark guiding him through it. He needed him. Without him, Peter wasn’t sure what to do or how to act. It felt as though he had lost his center of gravity and now he had nothing to ground him to the earth. He felt hollow, empty. Much like Mr. Stark’s arc reactor. 

He looked at the dead core now, still embedded within the suit. The sight of it made fresh tears spill from his eyes, as it just served as another reminder of Mr. Stark’s death. But through his blurred vision, Peter saw something. A flicker. 

He blinked rapidly, trying to rid his remaining tears. 

There it was again. The faintest glow emanating from the arc reactor. Peter shot up, drawing questioning gazes from Pepper and Rhodey, but Peter paid them no mind. His gaze was fixed on Mr. Stark’s arc reactor. 

And there, in the center of the Iron Man suit, the core began to glow.


	2. Alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! As promised, here’s the next chapter! Thank you to everyone who left a comment for me! They were totally amazing and really pushed me to finish this chapter quickly! I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however the story is entirely my own.

“... ark?” 

Light. That was the first thing he noticed. Bright light was filtering through his eyelids and he wanted to tell someone to turn it off. He was in enough pain as it was, he didn’t need to be blinded as well.

His entire body felt like it was on fire. Every nerve ending was engulfed in flames and his skin felt itchy, as though it wasn’t his own. A light was shined directly into his eyes and he wanted to swat the idiot who was trying to blind him, but he couldn’t move his arm. The mere act of trying to lift a finger sent another fresh wave of pain to radiate through him, momentarily taking his breath away. _Ow_.

“...Mr. Stark?”

All thoughts of pain flew out of his head when he heard his name being called. _Kid_?

He tried to turn his head in the direction the voice was coming from, but only achieved more pain. “Mr. Stark? Can you hear me?” 

His hope fell when he heard the voice again. It was not Peter. He wanted to tell the idiot to stop flashing that light in his face and go find someone he actually wanted to see, but the words wouldn’t form in his mouth. He sighed internally and forced his eyes to open. Thankfully, the light was removed from his face and he blinked a few times to clear his blurry vision. 

He was lying on a hospital bed in a sterile, white room. The bed sheets were heavy and stiff and he felt like he was being suffocated underneath the weight. He turned his head carefully to see a woman in a white lab coat with a clipboard, smiling down at him. She pushed the bridge of her glasses back up her nose as she asked, “How are you feeling, Mr. Stark?”

“... What… happened? Where-where am I?” Every word felt like fire down his throat and he grit his teeth. 

The woman flashed him a sympathetic smile. “Rest assured, Mr. Stark. You are quite alright. Although I must admit, you had us worried for a while.” Placing the clipboard underneath her arm, she said, “My name is Dr. Li.” She glanced around the room. “And you are currently in one of the many facilities S.H.I.E.L.D. operates in upper state New York.” 

Tony leaned his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes. _Fury_. He made a mental note to thank the bastard whenever he saw him next. 

“You are quite the hero, Mr. Stark.” He opened his eyes and lifted an eyebrow at the doctor questioningly. She chuckled lightly at his confused expression. “How you managed to survive using the infinity stones is beyond my understanding.”

Tony stared at Dr. Li for several moments. He _had_ used the infinity stones to destroy Thanos and his army. He should be dead. So why wasn’t he?

Sensing his bewilderment, she smiled. “After your brave heroics, one of your teammates noticed that your arc reactor was still functioning.” She gestured to the now pulsing mechanism in the center of his chest that was giving off a warm light. “Seeing as how the New Avengers Facility was destroyed, you were brought to the closest S.H.I.E.L.D. base. You had severe burns and lacerations on the right side of your body, several broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a concussion.” 

He bolted upright and immediately regretted the decision, sharp pain attacking his side. “‘ _Had_? How long has it been?” Dr. Li held up her hands placatingly. “Only a few days. Considering the injuries you’ve sustained, it should have been longer.” 

She paused, eyeing him carefully before saying, “You are to be on bedrest for _at least_ a week.” Sensing his protest, she held up a finger to quiet him. “No human could have survived after using the infinity stones. They can only be wielded by an incredibly powerful being. If a human were to use them, their body would be ripped apart _from the inside_.” She pointed her finger directly into his face, giving him the distinct impression of being reprimanded for putting his hand in the cookie jar. “ _One week_ ,” the doctor said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

He leaned back into the pillows and nodded, too tired to really care. It wasn’t like he could move at the moment, even if he wanted to. He sighed and leaned back into the pillow. “Oh,” said Dr. Li. “You have a visitor. I imagine she will be quite relieved to hear you’re awake.” 

_Pepper_. Tony jumped up again, gritting his teeth. He had to stop doing that. 

Dr. Li smiled. “I’ll send her in.” The door closed behind her and he was left alone, listening to the incessant beeping of the monitor. 

He barely had time to collect himself before the door was being opened again. It was hard to control the smile that was pulling at his lips when he saw his wife step inside the small room. 

Pepper froze in place when she saw him awake in that hospital bed. Her eyes were lined with silver and her hands flew to her mouth, covering a choked sob. A moment of understanding passed between them before she, trembling, took a shaky step forward. And then another. Until she stopped next to his bed, coming to grip his hand between both of hers. 

“... Are you… ?” She cleared her throat, blinking back tears. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

She nodded, while simultaneously scanning his body up and down for injuries. After concluding that he was in fact ‘okay’, she exhaled deeply, having held it the entire time she was sitting outside his door, waiting for Dr. Li to tell her that he was awake. 

“I was so scared, Tony,” she whispers to him. “When I saw you lying there… I thought you had died. I didn't know what to do. The only thing that I could think about was how was I going to tell Morgan that you wouldn’t be coming home? How could I possibly tell our daughter that she would never see her father again? And I just-” Pepper stopped. The tears were flowing freely down her face and the sobs wracked her body. 

Tony looked desperately at his wife, wishing that there were some way to comfort her, but there wasn’t. Because this was the reality of their life. Everytime he put on the suit, Pepper would have to consider the possibility that he wouldn’t be coming back to her alive. And there was nothing that could change that and they both knew it.

So Tony waited patiently until her sobs subsided and she was breathing evenly again. Her grip on his hand tightened, as though she were trying to hold onto him hard enough so that he wouldn’t leave her. “Please, Tony. Please don’t do anything like that again. I can’t handle you being in space or battling alien armies or saving the universe.”

“... I have to, Pepper.” He knew it with every fiber of his being. He would never be able to give it up. 

But Pepper shook her head. “No, you don’t. There are others that can save the universe. Your family needs you.” In a quiet, much more desperate whisper, she breathes out, “I need you.” 

Tony stared into her desperate eyes, not sure what to say to make Pepper understand that he couldn’t give this up. He wouldn’t.

“Promise me. Promise me you won’t put on the suit again.” 

This had always been a sore spot for them. She had never understood his compulsive need to keep improving upon his suits during the long hours of the night. She had never understood why he continued to put them on every time someone was threatening this planet, or more recently, the universe. She had never understood why he always had the nanoparticle housing unit on, even when he slept. Or didn’t.

Their relationship got better when Morgan came into the picture, but there would always be this thing in between them. And as much as he hated the division, there was nothing he could do to change it, because he would never change himself. 

“Promise me.”

He looked up at his wife. “I…” 

But he didn’t need to finish the sentence. Pepper already knew his answer. Her expression became one of cold detachment as she released his hand and got up. He watched as she quietly made her way to the door, her hand resting on the handle. Before she left, she turned her head to look at him and her voice was filled with resentment and bitterness. “Peter won’t always be able to save you. What am I supposed to do when that time comes and you really die?”

Tony’s brow furrowed in confusion at the mention of Peter’s name. “When did Peter save me?”

Pepper raised an eyebrow. “Did no one tell you,” she said, her tone acidic. “Peter saved your life that day. He saw your arc reactor glowing when no one else could. Including me.”

Tony tried to process that information, but Pepper was already leaving. He called out her name, but she chose to ignore him. As she walked out, she ran into Happy. “Hello, Happy,” she said icily, before she exited, her heels clacking sharpy down the corridor.

The man’s eyes widened as he stared after Pepper for a moment, before closing the door behind him.

“What are you doing here,” Tony asked, surprised.

Happy looked at the man in the bed indignantly. “What do you think? I came to see if the boss was alive. I want to know if I still have a job.”

“It’s nice to know that you care so much about me.”

“Well, someone needs to pay me.” 

Tony scoffed at that. 

“Oh. By the way,” Happy said, glancing down at his phone. “I let the team know you’re awake. They should be here in a few minutes.”

Tony waved his hand vaguely as his only indication that he heard what Happy had said and silence soon filled the room. Tony was trying to process everything that had just happened, but it was made extremely difficult with the pounding headache that had begun to make itself known inside his skull. 

He had no idea where he and Pepper stood right now. Their relationship was on shaky ground as it was, but now he felt like it was undergoing a massive earthquake that measured a 10 on the Richter scale.

He had no idea how to fix them-he didn’t even know if he could. Pepper wanted him to give up Iron Man, but Iron Man _was_ him. To give up Iron Man would be the same as giving up an arm or a leg. It was a part of him.

And then there was the fact that Peter had saved his life. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He was grateful towards the kid for saving his life-that much he knew. But a small annoying voice in the back of his mind kept saying that he couldn’t do the same for Peter when it really came down to it. Peter had died in his arms while he sat back, utterly helpless, and watched Peter turn to dust. 

A cold shiver ran down his spine at the unpleasant memory. 

“How mad was she?”

Tony snapped back to the present. He looked at Happy with a blank expression, not understanding the question, too lost within his own mind. 

“That bad, huh?”

He remained quiet and instead dragged a hand over his face and through his hair, grimacing. _I need a shower_. But in the condition that he was in, Tony doubted that he could even manage to get out of bed, let alone stand. _At least, not by myself_. His eyes slid towards Happy and stayed there until comprehension dawned on the other man’s face. Happy held up his hands.

“Don’t look at me. That was not in my job description.”

An thought came to Tony, but Happy cut him off before he could even open his mouth. “And you are not paying me to do it.”

Tony sighed to himself. He was about to argue that Happy should do what he says regardless of his job description, but the door suddenly banged open and in stormed his team, with Thor leading the group. “Thank the gods you’re not dead,” he proclaimed as he swung Stormbreaker in the air in exaltation.

Everyone jumped back and covered their heads. “Put it down before you kill someone,” Wanda said, rolling her eyes at the man’s overenthusiasm. From the corner, Bucky nodded in silent agreement. 

Rhodey was the first to move in the group, coming up to Tony’s bedside, concern showing in his features. “How are you feeling, buddy?”

At the question, Tony felt suddenly uncomfortable as everyone’s eyes turned to him, genuine worry in their expressions. He shrugged, silently scolding himself for the movement as it caused another wave of pain throughout his body. “I’ve been better,” he said to the group. His eyes passed over all of their faces, before he noticed that there were a few he wasn’t seeing. “Where is everyone?”

Sam cleared his throat and Tony turned his head to look at the Falcon. “We each returned the stones to their own timelines… Cap stayed in his.”

“ _What_? Why the hell did the idiot stay in that timeline?” Tony narrowed his eyes at Banner. “What did you screw up?” 

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Bruce said defensively, holding his hands up, as though he were showing everyone that they were clean of any crime. He gestured to Sam. “You tell him.”

“He chose to stay,” Falcon said.

Tony closed his eyes and looked to the ceiling, as though he were praying. “Please tell me it was not because of that doe-eyed girl he’s been obsessing about for decades.” 

The silence he received was answer enough. He turned back to Banner. “The stones are all back, though? They’re gone?”

Banner nodded. “Yeah. They’re all back-and it’s nice to see you, too.”

“It’s good to see you, buddy.” Tony turned to the group. “Where are the others?”

Bruce looked down at the ground, suddenly very quiet. It was Wanda who answered for him. “Clint did not take Natasha’s death well. He blames himself.” She sucks in a breath, suddenly reminded of her own loss when Vision was taken from her. She exhales steadily before continuing. “He’s gone back home to be with his family. But he is glad that you are awake.”

Tony did not blame the man for wanting to spend time with his family. Losing Nat was a big blow to all of them. 

But he didn’t want to dwell on his friend’s death. He buried that pain away and turned to Happy, who was standing silently in the corner, looking very much out of place in the midst of gods and heroes wearing a suit. “Where’s the kid?”

Happy shrugged his shoulders and said, “I texted him, but he hasn’t responded. He went back to Queens to see his aunt.”  
____________________  
“Come on! Please, May!” He was chasing after her into the small kitchen as she scrambled to gather her purse and car keys. 

“No! Absolutely not,” Aunt May replied sternly. “You are not leaving this house.”

“But Happy said that he’s awake and wants to see me!”

“I don’t care if it’s the president himself asking for you! You’re not going!” They had reached the front door and she was digging inside her purse, frustration clear in her voice as she mumbled, “Where did that stupid thing go?”

Peter held out the phone to her silently and she snatched it from his hand. Their eyes locked and Aunt May could see the desperation in his gaze and she hesitated. “Please, May,” he whispered. “I have to see him.”

“Peter, I…” 

She shook her head and her expression hardened. “He brought you into _space_ , when I thought you were on a field trip. And I couldn’t do anything except wait for you to come back to me alive. But you didn’t.” She paused, steadying her quivering voice. “You were dead for _five years_ , Peter. Because of him.”

Peter immediately began to shake his head. “No. It wasn’t like that. I would have died anyway, whether I was in outer space or not.”

“You don’t know that,” Aunt May said stubbornly.

“Yes, I do. And,” he looked at her, begging her to understand. “It was _my_ decision. Mr. Stark had no idea I had even stayed on the ship. He tried to send me back home, but I refused.”

Peter could see that he was getting through to her. He could see the hesitancy in the way she fiddled with her keys. “He didn’t want me there with him anymore than you did,” he pressed. 

He waited. And waited. And waited. Then finally, Aunt May threw her hands in the air in exasperation. “Fine,” she conceded. “You can go. _But_ ,” Peter stopped the victorious smile that was pulling at his lips. “I am coming with you. We’ll drive up this afternoon once my shift is done.”

Peter threw his arms around her. “Thanks, May.”

She smiled as she pulled back. “I gotta go. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

He watched as the door closed behind her. His sensitive hearing picked up on her mumbling down the hallway. “Stark better be on his best behavior or else I’m gonna finish what Thanos couldn’t.”

Peter chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head.  
____________________  
Tony hated sitting still. It was a known fact about him. Ever since he was little, he could never stay in one place for more than a few minutes before moving again. He was just naturally a very active person. So if he had to lie on this rock slab that S.H.I.E.L.D called a “bed” for one more minute, he was going to-

“Don’t even think about it.” 

Tony glared at Happy from across the room. It had been hours since Pepper left. The team had left not long after and Happy had opted to stay, saying he had “nothing else better to do.” So there they were, approaching the midnight hour, and Tony had not moved a single inch all day. He was starting to get fidgety. 

He had tried to take his mind off his current immobile state by reading news articles on his phone about the aftermath of the war. From what he could tell, the world was starting to piece itself back together now that half of the population had returned. There were a few articles proclaiming him the “Hero of the Universe” and other equally ridiculous titles which he had scoffed at. But while skimming through the articles, he had come across one in particular that caught his eye. 

The caption had read “SPIDERMAN BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER!” and underneath was a picture of Peter swinging down and grabbing a car that had driven off a bridge. 

Tony could not help the grin that spread across his face thinking about the article he had read. He must have looked too content though, lying in that bed, because Happy looked up from his phone and asked, “Why are you smiling?”

Tony forced the grin to disappear from his face and take up an expression of indifference. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Happy smirked knowingly and looked back down at his phone. Tony glanced at his own screen, still displaying another article of Spiderman-this time, rescuing two children from a fatal car accident. Before he could start smiling again, he quickly closed the page and put his phone down on the night stand beside his bed. 

The room became silent and Tony scrubbed his face out of frustration. He needed to move. To just do _something_ , aside from laying in this extremely uncomfortable bed for hours on end.

A ring resonated throughout the small room. “That’s me,” Happy said, while reading the notification he received. He looked up. “There’s a visitor here to see you.” 

Tony’s brow furrowed. “This late at night? Who?”

Happy didn’t respond. He merely smiled and walked to the door, opening it to welcome the visitor who was standing outside in the hall. Tony couldn’t see who it was, but he didn’t need to see. He knew from the voice.

“Happy,” Peter cried, throwing his arms around the older man. Happy awkwardly patted Peter’s back and said, “It’s good to see you, kid.”

Tony couldn’t see Peter from his bed. He anxiously waited for him to walk inside the room so he could finally see his face. 

And after what felt like years, Peter _finally_ took a step forward. And Tony let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

There he was. Soft, wavy hair. Big, brown eyes. And a huge smile plastered on his face. 

“M-Mr. Stark?”

Tony broke into a real, genuine smile. “Hey, kid.”

At the acknowledgement, Peter lurched forwards, nearly crashing into the bed itself. “M-Mr. Stark, are you okay? I wanted to stay with you when they brought you here, but then I had to call Aunt May to let her know that I was alive after five years-which I still don’t really understand-but she wanted me to come home and I couldn’t say no. And then Happy texted me this morning and told me you were awake and I wanted to come as soon as I could, but-”

“Peter.” Tony reached out and placed a hand on the kid’s shoulder and Peter immediately stopped talking. “S-Sorry,” he said, his ears turning the slightest shade of pink. 

His eyes dragged over Peter’s frame, searching for any possible injuries. After deeming him to be in healthy condition, he called over to Happy. “Bring the chair over here for the kid.”

Happy obliged and then glanced down at his watch. “Well,” he said. “I should probably get going. I’ll see you tomorrow, boss.”

Tony was hardly paying any attention to the man. His eyes were glued on Peter, who turned around in his chair and called out, “Bye, Happy.”

He received a “Bye, kid” before the door closed behind Happy and they were left alone for the first time in over five years. 

Peter turned to Tony and began to apologize for being there so late, but Tony waved him off. “It’s fine, kid. Don’t worry about it.” He was honestly just happy that Peter had come at all.

“B-But are you really okay, Mr. Stark?” Peter asked earnestly, his face filled with concern. 

Tony grunted as he tried to shift positions in the back-breaker of a bed. He missed his own with its soft mattress and million-thread count sheets. “Yeah. I’m a little banged up, but I’m okay.” He gave Peter a meaningful look. “I heard I have you to thank for that.”

Peter’s face turned bright red and he began to fidget with his hands at the unexpected praise he earned from his mentor. “I-I really didn’t do anything.”

“You saved my life, kid.”

“... Y-Yeah,” he consented. “I guess my enhanced vision saw your arc reactor still functioning...B-But you’ve saved my life a lot of times, too! I-I mean… you’ve always protected me.” 

“I didn’t protect you five years ago,” Tony said, his tone growing somber and his smile disappearing. “I should have, but I didn’t.”

Peter shook his head emphatically. “N-No, that’s not… that wasn’t your fault, M-Mr. Stark. I mean… you heard what Dr. Strange said. W-What happened… that was the only way to win.”

“No,” Tony said firmly. “It was my fault. I should have found another way. I should have protected you. But you died in my arms and I-”

The door opened, effectively cutting off whatever he was about to say, and Peter’s aunt walked in with a cup of coffee in her hand. “This place is a maze,” she huffed under her breath, talking to herself. “You’d think they’d be able to afford some signs in the hallways or something.” 

Aunt May looked up from her own ramblings to see Peter and Tony hunched close together, both of them leaning towards each other. “Am I… interrupting something,” she asked suspiciously, glancing between her nephew and Mr. Stark.

The two of them sprung apart instantly. Tony didn’t even know that they had gotten so close together. Recovering quickly, he cleared his throat and said, “No. Not at all.” He flashed a charming smile at Peter’s aunt. “It’s great to see you again, May.”

She pursed her lips. “Hmm, I wish I could say the same.”

Tony was taken aback by her less than enthusiastic response. The last time that he had seen May, she was thanking him profusely about offering Peter the Stark Internship and telling him how grateful she was that he had given her nephew such an amazing opportunity. Now, May looked like she could barely stand to be in the same room as him.

He cleared his throat. “So… how have you been?” He asked her, trying to engage in a polite conversation. 

But May wasn’t having any of it. “I will be completely honest with you, Mr. Stark.” She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. “I don’t like you and I don’t want you around Peter. All you do is put him in harm’s way so that he can fight your battles. It’s because of you that he was gone for five years.” She laughed bitterly. “And it’s because of you that he even became a superhero in the first place.”

Tony was left in shock. Aside from Pepper, there have been very few people who have ever reprimanded him, and he was surprised that it came from Peter’s harsh, but caring aunt. 

“May!” Peter yelled. He turned to Tony. “T-That’s not true, Mr. Stark. It’s not your fault. I don’t…” He shook his head. “I don’t blame you.”

“Peter,” his aunt began to say, but he cut her off. 

“No! I don’t blame him.”

“But you should.” Peter turned towards Tony, bewildered, but the older man only shrugged. “Your aunt’s right. I got you into this. If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be giving old women directions and returning stolen bikes. Instead, you’re battling alien armies and going up against dangerous titans.” He paused and looked at Peter. “And maybe you wouldn’t have died if I had never brought you along with me to Berlin in the first place.”

Peter didn’t want to hear any of it. “N-No. That’s… that’s not what happened. None of it was your fault. I chose this.”

Tony didn’t say anything. He didn’t even know what to say. No matter how much the kid claimed otherwise, he knew deep down in his messed up heart that he had led the kid to his own death. And nothing Peter said would make him think anything different. 

“Well,” May said, breaking the tense silence. “It’s too late to drive back home tonight. I’ll go and book us a hotel in the area.” She turned to Peter and gave him a knowing look, one that said she should be seeing him outside in the hall in five minutes. The door closed behind her with a resolute click, leaving Peter and Tony alone.

Peter wasn’t sure what to say. His face was on fire. “U-Um… I’m really sorry about May. She-she just cares a lot about me and… um…”

Tony held up his hand to stop Peter. “I get it, kid. You don’t have to apologize. I deserved it.”

“B-But none of it was your fault!”

He gave Peter a tired smile and rubbed a hand down his face. “I know, kid.” He didn’t believe those words for a second, but he knew that Peter would never stop until he agreed that he was not to blame for everything that happened. 

Peter suddenly let out a yawn, catching Tony’s attention. He looked at the kid’s face more carefully and could see the dark shadows under his eyes, the weariness there. “When was the last time you slept, kid?” He couldn’t help the concern that slipped into his voice.

Peter tensed in the seat, having been caught. “U-Um…,” he said shakily. “I don’t really sleep well anymore. Not after… dying and-um… Thanos.”

“You know you can always come to me, right? About anything.” Tony placed a hand on the kid’s shoulder, completely oblivious to the way Peter jolted in his seat from the simple touch.

Peter laughed nervously. “I-I know that, sir.”

A clearing of the throat could be heard from the hallway and they both turned their heads to the noise. Peter bolted out of his seat. “I should probably get going. Um…” He turned to Tony hesitantly. 

The older man waved him off. “I’ll be here for another week. But as soon as I’m cleared, I’ll go back down to Manhattan and then you and I can spend a weekend in my lab. Sound good?”

Peter shook his head excitedly. “Yeah.”

Tony smirked at the his enthusiasm. “Bye, kid.”

“Bye, Mr. Stark.” Peter left and Tony was back to being alone. He sighed and reached for his phone, pulling up another article about Spiderman’s amazing return.

And as he began to read in the middle of the night, alone in an uncomfortable bed, Tony smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, not the most action-packed chapter you’ve read, but things will start to pick up in the upcoming chapters, so hang in there! Please let me know what you guys think! So far the response has been incredible! Keep it up! I will try and post chapters weekly! Until next time!


	3. Here We Go Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I am sooo sorry for the late update! I’ve been having to revise my original plot for the story just a bit, but I promise that it’s even better now! Anyway, we’ll start to see things begin to pick up and I hope you guys are excited as I am! Thank you to everyone who left me a comment and/or liked my story! The response has been amazing! Keep it up! And without further ado, I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Time had moved at an agonizingly slow pace for the past week. He sat in bed, staring at his phone, trying to stay updated with what was happening around the world as people tried to piece their lives back together. For the most part, it was working. Things seemed to be going back to normal. 

Pepper came to see him almost every day, occasionally bringing Morgan with her. He had smiled the first time he saw his daughter again as she ran into the room and threw herself on the bed beside him. “Hey, little miss,” he said and she had giggled at the term of endearment. 

Pepper was still cold towards him and he had no idea how to fix that. She wanted him to give up Iron Man and he had. For five years. But when Cap knocked on his door, telling him that there was a chance to bring everyone back, he knew that he would take it. Despite whatever he said, he had missed that part of his life and there was no way that he would give it up again. And Pepper knew it, too.

Most of the times she visited, she stood in the corner of the sterile room with her arms crossed and her lips pursed as she watched Morgan laugh with her father. Occasionally their eyes would meet and he would try to smile at her, but she only turned her head and looked away. And that was about the extent of their interactions for the entirety of the week. 

The team had come to visit him a few times, Rhodey and Bruce more so than the others, but he still enjoyed their company. They would all give him worried expressions and he would sigh and roll his eyes, saying repeatedly that he was fine. They never believed him. 

Dr. Li checked in on him frequently-to an annoying degree-probably to make sure that he was still lying in the bed and had not snuck out. He didn’t blame her. He had considered it a couple of times himself. He might have even tried it if it weren’t for the fact that Happy was with him almost all the time. He claimed he had nothing else better to do, but Tony saw the concern in his eyes whenever Tony groaned with any movement. 

His mood worsened as the week went on. He desperately craved to do something, anything, that would take his mind off of the fact that he hadn’t moved in a week and that the kid had not visited him again in that entire period of time.

Tony understood why; the kid was busy trying to catch up on the last five years of his life that he had missed. Before the Snap, Tony had heard that Peter was planning to apply to MIT with his friends. He remembered the day that the kid had walked into his lab, practically bursting with excitement as he told Tony about his wanting to go to MIT. Peter hadn’t stopped smiling that entire day as they worked, talking endlessly about all of the amazing opportunities the college had to offer. 

That was so long ago, but Tony remembered that day with perfect clarity. Peter’s energy and enthusiasm. His infectious smile. The way his eyes shined. He basked in the memory, allowed the warmth it brought to flood his body. He missed those times when things were simpler and he didn’t have to worry about the universe being threatened by a mad titan. When it was just him and the kid tinkering in his lab. 

But instead, he was anxiously fidgeting in his bed. Today was the day that Dr. Li would release him from the hospital so that he could go home. Back to Pepper and Morgan and maybe-hopefully-fix his relationship. 

The door opened and he almost jumped up from the bed when Dr. Li came in, clipboard in hand as usual. She flashed a secretive, knowing smile at Tony.

“Well, Mr. Stark,” she glanced down at the clipboard and scanned through it briefly before looking back up at him. “Your ribs have mostly healed along with the burns and lacerations on the right side of your body. You still have a mild concussion, but other than a few scars and some light bruising, you’re free to go. _But no strenuous activity for awhile_.” 

Tony hadn’t even waited for her to finish talking before he was already hopping out of the bed and stretching carefully, pleased when he found that there was hardly any pain with the motion. Happy, who was still in the room, was already gathering his things and handing Tony his jacket to throw on. 

“Thank you, Dr. Li. You have been an utter delight and feel free to come over for dinner some time,” he was joking, obviously, but Dr. Li only smiled. “I am the one who should be thanking you. After all, you did save the universe.”

Tony shrugged. “I just happen to like this hunk of rock.”

“Well my two daughters and I do, too. So thank you.” 

He gave the woman a brief smile before gesturing to Happy that it was time to go. The man took the hint and led the way. It felt so good to be walking and moving around again that Tony could hardly maintain his joy as they neared the glass doors that would take him outside for the first time in over a week. 

They were barely a few feet from the exit when Tony heard, “Well, don’t tell me you’re leaving already, Stark. Just when I thought that you were starting to like this place.”

Tony didn’t bother turning around. “I didn’t see you at the battle.”

He heard a light chuckle. “Well, you know me. I’m never one to miss a fight, but I didn’t think a gun would do much against an alien army sent to destroy the universe.”

Tony remained silent, dreading what he knew was coming next.

“I need to have a word with you.” 

Tony inwardly groaned. “Do I have a choice?”

“No.”

He glanced at Happy. “Get the car ready. I’ll meet you outside.”

Happy nodded and Tony watched him go before turning around and looking at the man behind him. “What is it?”

Nick Fury wore a grim expression, his one eye seeming to peer straight into his soul. “We got a problem.”  
____________________  
He stared blankly at the screen, not really caring what was actually on the television. He was so bored. With Aunt May practically placing him under house arrest for the foreseeable future, he had nothing to do. 

When they got to the hotel the night after visiting Mr. Stark, he had pleaded with May to let them stay in the morning so he could go to the S.H.I.E.L.D facility one more time before leaving. He wanted to spend just a few more minutes with Mr. Stark, but May had to get home for her shift that afternoon. So they left and every day for the past week, Peter has been asking May if they could go back to visit again, but she had a different excuse every time.

He knew that May still held a grudge against Mr. Stark, despite Peter’s best efforts to convince May otherwise. But she held firm on her belief and on top of that, she told Peter that he was to stay at home, wanting to spend as much time with him before he went off to college.

Before everything had happened, Peter applied to MIT and got accepted. He was going to tell Mr. Stark, but with them getting stuck on a spaceship and then battling Thanos and then him turning into dust, he didn’t really get the chance. He had received a letter from the office of admissions saying that under the circumstances, their offer still stood if he wanted it. Peter had barely needed the time to think before he was already responding back, saying he gladly accepted and was excited to attend in the fall.

And he was excited. Truly. But he knew that once he was in college, he would be busy, and he wouldn’t have a lot of time to be Spiderman and be with the team. Or Mr. Stark, a small voice reminded him inside his head. 

His breath caught in his throat and his heart ached at the thought of not seeing Mr. Stark for a long time. But he silently reprimanded the voice, telling it to be quiet before he could begin to analyze what those feelings were. He didn’t want to think about any of that. Mr. Stark was his mentor, nothing more.

Peter sighed and turned off the television, glancing down at his phone. He practically jumped off the faded, worn couch when he saw a text message on the screen from Mr. Stark.

_Hey, kid. I’m finally free. I’m home right now to be with Pepper and Morgan, but I have to go back to Manhattan in a few days on business. Want to come to the penthouse this weekend_?

Peter’s heart leapt out of his chest and he was immediately sending a reply without even thinking. _Yes, please_. He paused, biting his lip. _Will I be there the entire weekend_?

The response he got was instantaneous. _Of course_.

Trying and failing to stop the growing smile on his face, he texted a quick “okay” before hitting send. 

It was then that he heard footsteps in the hallway outside of the apartment. _May_. He could hear the rustle of plastic bags, indicating that she must have gotten groceries on the way home. 

He jumped out of his seat and ran to the door, opening it before she could even put the key inside the lock and he was already grabbing the bags and bringing them into the small kitchen. 

“Thank you,” May called out from her spot in the entryway. She followed Peter inside the apartment, dropping her purse on a chair as she watched her nephew race around the kitchen, putting groceries away. She saw the grin that he was trying to hide as he moved about and narrowed her eyes skeptically.

“You look awfully happy to be putting away groceries. What’s got you in such a good mood?” She could see his smile flicker and his shoulders tense at her question. 

“...Um… Mr. Stark needs me to go to his Manhattan penthouse this weekend.” He turned to look at his aunt, seeing the deep frown lines on her face and sensing the impending argument. 

“I already agreed that I would go,” Peter said before she could get a word out. “And he really does need me for important business he has to take care of.” So he _might_ have stretched the truth on him really being needed, but it could be true… 

May glared at her nephew who was pleading at her with his big, brown eyes. She could feel her resolve crack, just like it always did. After a time, she sighed. “Fine. But if he drags you into space to fight evil aliens again, so help me God, I will kill him.” Peter laughed nervously before coming up to his aunt and wrapping his arms around her. 

“Don’t worry, May,” he said against her hair. “I’ll be careful.”

He could feel her arms tighten around him. “Please.”  
____________________  
Fury led him through the halls of the facility, passing S.H.I.E.L.D agents scurrying left and right. It seemed as though everyone was in a rush to get somewhere or do something, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to leave. And the further they walked, the less likely it seemed that that would be happening anytime soon. 

The area became more desolate as time passed, until it was only the two of them walking silently in a narrow corridor, their footsteps echoing on the metal floors. Tony knew that whatever bomb Fury was about to drop, it would be nuclear.

They stopped at a heavy iron door, its hinges covered with years of rust and grime. Fury stepped in front of a screen, bending slightly for the retinal scanner. After his identity was confirmed and inputting a digital code, the door swung open slowly, the bottom grating against the floor. 

He gestured for Tony to enter before following behind him, the door closing once they were completely inside the room. Tony squinted in the darkness. He couldn’t make out any figures or shapes. 

He lifted an eyebrow and turned to where he assumed Fury was. “Uh… is this the part where you tell me you’ve always loved me and then try to kiss me? Because I gotta tell you, I’m flattered, but I’m not interested.”

He heard a humorless chuckle somewhere within the depths of the space. “Not exactly.”

All of a sudden, the room was illuminated and Tony raised a hand to his face to block the harsh and sudden white light that shined in his eyes. After a few moments, he hesitantly lowered his hand to stare with wide eyes at what stood in front of him.

He took a slow step forward. 

Within a large glass encasement in the center of the metal room, sat what looked to be shards glowing softly. They looked undeniably familiar and a sick feeling of dread pooled in the bottom of his stomach. He knew with utter certainty what was in that case, but he still had to ask. “Are those…?” 

Fury approached from behind him, his heavy footsteps echoing in the silence of the room. “Shards of the infinity stones.”

Tony whirled around. “No,” he declared, shaking his head. “No. The stones were returned to their own timelines. There is no _possible way_ that they can still be here.”

“Well, it seems that when you were playing ‘Hero of the Universe’ and turned Thanos and his army to dust, it required a considerable amount of power that the stones couldn’t handle.” Fury gestured to the glass case. “While everyone was busy saving you and containing the stones, they failed to notice that shards were left on the field. Our scanners were reporting unusual energy signals, so I had my team recover all of the shards to be brought here.” 

Tony dragged a hand over his face in frustration. “Why didn’t you just return them back to their timelines like we did with the actual stones?”

“We disabled the time machine.”

Tony blinked. “I’m sorry, _what_? You disabled my time machine?”

Fury gave him a hard stare, one that left no room for argument. “And let another crazy alien hell-bent on destroying the world have a chance at gathering the stones again?” He gave a harsh, humorless chuckle. “I don’t think so.”

Tony flung his arm towards the glowing shards encased behind the glass walls. “They wouldn’t need the time machine. They have the stones right here, all in one place.”

Fury crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t plan on letting those stones out of my sight.”

Tony stepped forward so that he was right in front of the man, staring into his eye. “You said it yourself: you’re out-gunned. What are you going to do when another alien army comes breaking down your door to take the stones?” 

Fury remained silent, his face giving nothing away. But Tony knew how the man thought, he didn’t have to say anything for Tony to guess at what his plan was. “You’re planning on using them yourself.” It was a statement, not a question.

“If it comes to that.” 

Tony smiled coldly. Menacingly. Why was he not surprised? “And who’s gonna use them? You?”

Fury gave him a meaningful look and Tony suddenly understood. “Me. You want me to use them.” Again, not a question. 

He chuckled harshly while Fury stood silently and watched. Tony had barely survived using the stones the first time around and now Fury wants him to use them a second time if another alien army arrives on their doorstep? Skin grafting took care of the scars on the outside, but there is no doubt that the stones left their mark on the inside. Tony would not live through a second time. And from the look on Fury’s face, he knew it, too.

Tony shook his head, rubbing a hand across his face, the coarse fibers of his scraggly beard scraping his skin. He definitely needed to get his hands on a razor at some point. It was the only thing he could think of. The only thing he could wrap his brain around, because everything else was too crazy. Too insane. 

His head was pounding with the sudden intake of information and he wanted to leave now more than ever. It also didn’t help that Fury was standing not three feet away, analyzing his every movement, as though he were preparing for a battle. But he wouldn’t get one from Tony, not today. Today, he just needed to get home to his wife and child and simply enjoy his second chance of life, because according to Fury, it would be short-lived.

Tony didn’t say anything. He turned and made for the door, suddenly desperate to get out of this metal confinement, not missing the irony that he spent so many hours confined within metal. His hand had barely touched the cool surface of the iron door before Fury called out behind him. 

“Why do you think that you survived?”

Tony paused at the question. It was the very thing that he had been asking himself ever since he opened his eyes in that hospital bed. Why _did_ he survive? Why did he, out of the trillions of beings that lived in their universe, survive using the Infinity stones? He thought he was going to die when he snapped his fingers. He _should_ have died. So why didn’t he?

At Tony’s silence, Fury said, “Call me superstitious, but I like to believe that you are alive today for a reason.” He paused for a moment. “Other than hiding in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere, eating popsicles,” he revised.

Tony raised his eyebrows. “And what reason would that be?” 

He was being sarcastic and he knew it. The idea that the universe had some predetermined destiny for him sounded ludicrous. He wanted to roll his eyes, but seeing the severity in Fury’s expression gave him pause.

“The world still needs Iron Man.”

Tony whirled around. “No,” he said, his voice stern. “It doesn’t. What alien would be stupid enough to attack Earth after what happened to Thanos?”

Fury shrugged, but remained silent and that’s when Tony knew something was off. He had known the director of S.H.I.E.L.D for over a decade and although the man was good at keeping secrets, Tony had gotten good at finding them. 

“There’s something you’re not telling me.” Fury didn't deny it and Tony wanted to strangle him. Because _of course_ there was something. There was _always_ something. 

“What is it?”

Fury sighed. “While you were playing Sleeping Beauty, our scanners were picking up some strange signatures in that field only days after we recovered the shards.”

Tony narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “What kind of signatures?”

“The same kind we were seeing with Thanos.”

Tony shook his head, his fists clenching. “No,” he said adamantly. “I turned that purple bastard and his army to dust. There is no way that he can still be alive.”

“And he’s not.” Tony paused. He stared at the director curiously, waiting for some explanation that would make sense. 

Fury sighed. “When you used the stones, you only used them on Thanos and his army. But this new person is neither. We think that they have worked closely with Thanos in the past, which is why we were picking up similar signatures.”

“Have we been able to track them?”

“No. Our radar can’t track them and satellites can’t pinpoint their location.”

Tony ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “Do we know what they want?”

Fury didn’t answer. Instead, his eyes slid towards the glass encasement in the center of the room where the shards still glowed faintly. Tony had his answer. The two remained silent for several minutes before Fury spoke up. 

“It’s time to come out of retirement, Stark. The team is currently staying at the base in New York City seeing as how your New Avengers facility was blown up. You still have a penthouse in Manhattan, right? I need you to be at the base next week.”

Tony was still trying to process everything that he had just heard. He was lost in his own world and had not been listening to a single thing that Fury was saying. It was only when he heard that he had to be New York City next week that he snapped out of his trance. “Wait. Isn’t S.H.I.E.L.D. supposed to be dissolved? How are you still operating?”

Fury gave him an arrogant smile. “You know better than anyone that I don’t give up easily.” He headed towards the door and pushed it open, the heavy iron scraping the floor. He turned to give Tony a pointed look. “I will see you in a week.” Having said that, he left, leaving Tony alone in the middle of the metal room. The Infinity shards were shining brightly, taunting him. 

_Shit_ , he thought to himself.  
____________________  
There was nothing for him to do except go back home and enjoy the few days he had to spend time with his family. When Happy turned onto the gravel pathway that led deeper into the woods where their house was nestled, he saw Morgan run up to the car and smiled. Pepper was nowhere to be seen, but considering how they have been avoiding each other recently, that was to be expected. 

He slammed the car door shut and bent down as his daughter collided with him, throwing her small arms around his muscular frame. While Happy got his minimal belongings from the trunk, he wrapped an arm under her legs and lifted her up, carrying her to their house. 

“Where’s mom,” he asked, turning his head towards Morgan. 

His daughter frowned slightly. “She’s in her office working.” Her brow scrunched slightly and he almost chuckled at the expression on her face. “I think she’s mad at you.”

He sighed. “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

And Pepper certainly wasn’t going to be happy when she hears what Fury told him. He had no idea how he was going to handle that conversation. It was the very thing that Pepper was afraid would happen again. And there was no question that he was going to die if he used those shards. 

He looked down at his daughter, still swinging her legs as he carried her through the threshold of their house before putting her down gently on the floor. He loved her-more than anything. But if another alien tries to use the Infinity stones-or what remains of them-to finish what Thanos couldn’t, he had to stop them. Because an entire universe depended on it. 

“Boss, where do you want these?” Tony snapped out of his head and turned to Happy who gestured towards the bags in his hand. 

“Just leave them there. I’ll take care of it later.” Happy nodded before dropping them on the ground with a thud. He made to leave, but hesitated. “... Call me if you need me. For anything.”

Tony raised a half smile. “I will, buddy.”

Before Happy could even step a foot out of the door, Morgan raced up to him and hugged his leg. Happy bent down and patted her head affectionately. “Bye, kid.”

Tony watched him leave before turning and heading toward the office where he knew he would find Pepper working. He paused at the wooden door, his hand resting on the knob. He sucked in a breath before entering, preparing himself mentally. 

But when he walked in and saw Pepper with her head down, typing rapidly on her laptop, deep bruises under her eyes from lack of sleep, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t tell her about the Infinity shards or the evil alien trying to steal them. And he couldn’t tell her how, if it came down to it, he would be the one using the shards and this time, he would not be coming back to her alive. 

He plastered a small smile onto his face and walked inside. Pepper’s eyes only briefly flickered to him before glancing back down on her work, resuming her typing. They both said nothing, the only sound in the room being the clicking of the keyboard as her fingers flew across the letters. He had offered a while ago to buy her an updated model, but she said that she liked the sound of the clicking, saying that it gave the laptop “character”. 

He half chuckled at the memory, causing Pepper to raise her eyebrow to him, but she didn’t say anything and neither did he. Tony stood there and began to whistle quietly, knowing that it would annoy her enough to speak. He counted down in his head. _Five. Four. Three. Two. One…_

“What did Dr. Li have to say?” He inwardly smiled before glancing down at her. “Oh, not much. But we might be having her over for dinner at some point.”

It was a joke and they both knew it, but Pepper only hummed in response before glancing back down at her screen. After another minute or so of clicking, Tony said offhandedly, “By the way, I’ll be going to the penthouse in Manhattan this weekend.”

That made Pepper stop completely and she looked up at him, bewildered. “Why?”

He couldn’t say that Fury wanted to devise a plan to draw out an alien that was threatening the universe with shards from the Infinity stones, so he said the first thing that popped into his mind. “I’m just going to visit the kid.”

He could see the impending argument in Pepper and spoke before she could object. “I haven’t seen him in five years, Pep. It’s just for a weekend.”

She hesitated, seeing the desperation in his eyes. She knew that Tony and Peter had formed a bond over the years that she would never fully understand. And although she would never acknowledge it aloud, she knew that Tony had fallen apart in those first few months after the Snap because of Peter. And no matter what she or anyone else did, nothing seemed to help. He never slept, he barely ate, and he would spend hours in his lab, trying desperately to find ways to bring everyone back. Things got better when they had Morgan, but Pepper secretly wondered if they had their daughter so that Tony could fill the hole that Peter Parker had left.

She sighed. “Fine,” she pointed her finger at her husband, her voice stern. “But just for the weekend.”

Tony flashed a dazzling smile that had sent thousands of hearts fluttering for years. “Of course.”

He walked out of the room when he saw Pepper roll her eyes exasperatedly at him. He whipped out his phone and sent the kid a text, making sure to keep it vague. He smiled when he got an immediate response back, asking if Peter could stay at the penthouse with him for the entire weekend. He quickly sent a reply before turning off his phone, grabbing the bags Happy left for him by the front door, and heading upstairs into the bedroom. 

He immediately laid back on the soft mattress. _It’s good to be home_.  
____________________  
Peter’s thigh bounced nervously as he anxiously waited on the couch. It was Friday afternoon. He received a text from Happy earlier in the week saying that he would pick Peter up at 5 o’clock to bring him to Mr. Stark’s penthouse. That was in five minutes and Peter was packed and ready to go. 

May had already left for her night shift and he was sitting nervously in their apartment, alternating between checking his phone for messages and looking out the window for a sleek black car parked in the street. 

As he looked down at his phone for the tenth time in two minutes, he heard a car pull in front of the building. His heart stopped and then started again when he looked down onto the street and recognized the ridiculously expensive car that Mr. Stark had gifted Happy. Peter threw himself out the door and down the stairs, the elevator having been broken for weeks now, and ran onto the sidewalk. 

He smiled widely when Happy was standing beside the car door, waiting for him. “Hey, kid.” He held out a paper bag and Peter looked questioningly at him before looking down at the bag. Peter opened it up and his mouth watered when he saw the greasy fast food within.

“Tony told me to buy you food,” Happy explained at Peter’s confused expression. “But don’t get grease on the seats or else I will throw out the bag.”

Happy took Peter’s worn backpack from his arm and put it in the trunk. Peter slid into the back seat of the car, sinking into the soft leather. He immediately opened the fast food bag, careful to not spill anything. As he chewed contentedly on a greasy burger, Happy glanced at him occasionally in the rearview mirror to ensure that his leather cushions were safe. 

When the burger and fries were gone, Peter began to fidget in his seat nervously. This was going to be one of the first times since the Snap that he and Mr. Stark would be alone together for a longer period of time. He wasn’t sure how he should behave or what he should say. So much had happened. 

Faster than Peter imagined, they had pulled up in front of the building and Happy was leading him inside. The concierge behind the front desk in the lobby did not blink twice at their arrival and did not ask for any identification. They rode the elevator to the top floor, all the while Peter’s heart was pounding so loudly, he was sure that Happy could hear it. But that might just have been his enhanced hearing. 

When the elevator dinged and opened, Peter’s jaw dropped momentarily at the penthouse apartment in front of him. It had been so long since he had last been here that he had forgotten the lavish and expensive tastes of Tony Stark. 

He could hear the approaching footsteps, but it still made him jump when he heard the voice. “Oh, Peter. You’re here. Good.”

Peter slowly turned. He gulped nervously. “Hey, Mr. Stark.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... what do you guys think? Poor Tony just can’t catch a break. I am super excited for the next chapter!! Please keep reading and reviewing! It means a lot to me! Anyway, I hope everyone stays safe and healthy! Until next time!


	4. Syrup and Orange Juice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Let me just say thank you to everybody who has been keeping up with my story so far! The last chapter broke 1000 hits! Thank you so much! I hope you are healthy and safe with all of this craziness lately! Maybe this new chapter will cheer everybody up! As always, I love comments so please don’t hesitate to tell me what you think of the story so far! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Peter’s eyes shifted nervously to every corner of the room. The dark leather couches and chairs. The steel grey floor tiles. The extravagant light fixtures. And of course, the modern kitchen and bar, fully stocked with every overpriced liquor one could possibly imagine lining the glass shelves. These were the things that he looked at instead of Mr. Stark, who was currently talking to Happy, his sweatpants riding dangerously low on his hips. 

Peter gulped uneasily and quickly darted his eyes away from Mr. Stark and onto something else. Anything else. He fidgeted with the strap of his backpack, needing to expel the nervous energy that was coursing through him. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he shouldn’t have come. Maybe he should have made up some excuse that he had homework to do and couldn’t make it this weekend. 

Maybe his eyes should not be drifting back down to the waistband of Mr. Stark’s sweatpants and the thin strip of skin that was revealed whenever he shifted. 

“Did he feed you?”

Peter snapped out of his gaze, his eyes quickly looking up to find both men staring amusedly at his bewildered state. “Huh?”

Mr. Stark flashed a small smile before asking again. “Did he feed you,” his hand gesturing towards Happy beside him. 

Happy responded before he could form a cohesive thought. “Don’t insult me. Of course I fed the kid.” He crossed his arms and gave his boss a knowing smirk. “And if anyone would forget to feed him, it would be you.”

Peter choked on a laugh as Mr. Stark stared indignantly at Happy. “Don’t worry, Mr. Stark. Happy bought me fast food,” Peter said, trying and failing to hide his smile. 

Happy gestured to Tony as if to say _See? I told you so_ , before turning and heading towards the elevator. “Boss, I’ll be back tomorrow around noon to pick you up.” 

“Thanks, buddy.”

As the elevator closed, Peter turned to Mr. Stark and raised an eyebrow questioningly. “What are you doing tomorrow?” Peter couldn’t hide the disappointment in his voice. He thought he would have the entire weekend with Mr. Stark, only to find out that he would be leaving tomorrow afternoon. 

Mr. Stark waved his hands in a dismissive gesture. “Just boring business stuff. Nothing you would be interested in.” 

Peter pursed his lips,suspicion budding, but said nothing.  
____________________  
The two of them eventually made their way to Mr. Stark’s lab. Peter had wanted to design a new web fluid that had a greater tensile strength so they could attach to objects farther away. Mr. Stark willingly agreed to the idea and they spent the next several hours running over different chemical formulas for the web fluid. 

It was startling to realize how much Peter had missed this. Working for hours with Mr. Stark in his lab was easily one of his favorite things to do. He never tired of it. The smell of metal and oil, the scratching of pencil against paper, and the exhilarating feeling he got whenever Mr. Stark hovered behind him to observe his work. The way his body heat radiated from him always made Peter’s toes curl in his worn sneakers. And the way Peter could feel his faint breathing on the back of his neck sent shivers down his spine.

In one particular instance that night, Mr. Stark had unintentionally brushed his hand against Peter’s side as he corrected the chemical formula he had been working on. That quick and fleeting touch had actually caused him to shudder. Mr. Stark made no indication that he had noticed, but Peter spent the next several moments trying to calm his rapid heartbeat. He couldn’t even register what Mr. Stark was telling him-his mind was incapable of processing anything. All from that one touch. 

At some point after hours of productive work, Peter accidentally let a yawn slip past his lips and Mr. Stark noticed immediately. “Alright, bedtime,” he said, standing up from his chair and stretching his back.

Peter looked up. “What? Why?” But as he began to protest, another yawn stopped him and Mr. Stark chuckled. “Yeah, definitely time for you to go to bed.”

Peter paused as he was about to stand up. “What about you?”

The older man shrugged carelessly, but Peter would not be fooled. He saw the dark bruises under his eyes, the exhausted and sluggish movements. 

Peter thought back to the time that he had followed Mr. Stark onto that spaceship. He remembered what he had told Mr. Strange about Thanos being inside his head since the battle in New York, over a decade ago. It had confirmed Peter’s suspicions about Mr. Stark not being able to sleep. He couldn’t imagine that the past five years had made it any easier when half of the universe’s population had been eradicated because they had failed to stop Thanos. Those kinds of scars take a long time to heal, if they heal at all.

Even though there was no longer any threat to Earth and Thanos was defeated, Peter didn’t blame Mr. Stark for not being able to sleep. He himself had trouble with it. He would often have nightmares about that day when Mr. Stark clutched him in his arms as he slowly turned to dust. He still remembered the haunted look in Mr. Stark’s eyes as he promised Peter that he would be okay, even though they both knew he wouldn’t be.

“... I-I don’t sleep well, either, Mr. Stark.” He whispered the words, afraid to voice them out loud, but still wanting Mr. Stark to know that he was not the only one who was suffering. “I still think about t-that day when I… I-I mean when we…” 

Mr. Stark sucked in a harsh breath and muttered a curse. He glanced up at Peter, his eyes pleading. “I’m sorry, kid. I should have asked how you were doing with… that.”

Peter shrugged, looking down at the ground sheepishly. “I’m o-okay. I’m gonna meet up with MJ and Ned next week.” He said offhandedly, wanting to talk about literally anything else. “I-It’s weird. So many of our friends are already done with college and searching for apartments while we’re going to be freshman this fall.”

Mr. Stark raised his eyebrow. “You got accepted into MIT. Congrats, kid.”

Peter’s cheeks turned a bright crimson under the unexpected praise. “T-Thanks. I’m really excited. I’m supposed to find out who my roommate is going to be soon.”

Mr. Stark nodded absentmindedly and silence soon filled the room. When Peter yawned again, all Mr. Stark said was, “Bed,” before stepping towards Peter and placing a strong calloused hand on his back, leading him out of the lab and towards the guest room in the penthouse.

The warm hand on his back sent shudders rippling throughout his body. The pressure on his shoulder blade was so unyielding and it made Peter feel inexplicably protected. His legs seemed to lose all control from that touch alone and he allowed himself to be steered into the guestroom and gently pushed towards the bed. He leaned back into the soft mattress as his eyelids slowly slid closed. 

He was practically asleep when his head hit the pillow, but before he completely drifted off, he thought he heard Mr. Stark say “Goodnight” to him. He might have responded back, but he was too far gone to make his mouth form the words. His mind was already dreaming about warm, calloused hands running along his skin.  
____________________  
Although it was better than most, his night was still a restless one. Eventually, the warmth from Mr. Stark’s hand faded and was replaced with the memory of battling Thanos and turning into dust. He tossed and turned until the morning sunlight began to stream through the blinds and he sighed to himself. 

If Peter concentrated closely, he could hear the beating heart down the hall from him. He was familiar enough with the heartbeat to know that Mr. Stark was awake. And Peter wondered if he was ever asleep to begin with. 

He deliberated taking the short walk to Mr. Stark’s bedroom. But he had no idea what he would do once he got there, much less what he’d say. Instead, he decided on waiting in bed until he heard the soft padding of footsteps in the hall. 

He slipped out of the covers and followed the sound of glass clinking softly and found Mr. Stark in the kitchen, filling a glass with orange juice. “You still like this stuff, right,” he asked, gesturing towards the carton.

Peter nodded eagerly and sat in a seat at the island, taking the offered glass of orange juice and sipping from it carefully. He watched as Mr. Stark moved about the space, making a cup of coffee for himself and sitting down across from him. The two sat in amicable silence before Mr. Stark spoke up. “How did you sleep?”

Peter shrugged, not wanting to relive the dreadful memory of his body turning to dust. “And you,” he asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to hear how Mr. Stark would respond. 

Mr. Stark shrugged, imitating Peter. “I got a few hours in.” It was a lie and they both knew it. Anyone could see the dark bruises under his eyes and the exhaustion in his sluggish movements. Peter held the glass to his lips. “Liar,” he muttered before taking a sip of the fresh orange juice. 

Mr. Stark stared at him with an incredulous expression on his face and Peter thought for a moment that he would be in trouble, but then Mr. Stark’s lips broke into a smile and he huffed a laugh. “Too damn smart for your own good, kid.” Peter looked down at his lap as he felt a familiar wave of heat rush across his face any time Mr. Stark praised him. The blaze intensified even more so when a loud rumbling echoed throughout the quiet kitchen. 

Mr. Stark glanced down at Peter’s stomach. “Does waffles sound good?” The rumbling he received was answer enough, but Peter managed to stammer out, “Y-Yes, sir.” Mr. Stark chuckled at his flustered state before turning away. 

Peter knew he had nothing to be embarrassed about. It was no secret that with his enhanced strength and healing came an enhanced metabolism as well. He had to consume a lot more calories than most of his other teammates combined. A fact that was made painfully aware to him as his stomach rumbled again at the smell of waffle batter filling the air. 

It was odd to see Mr. Stark cooking. Most of the time when he was with the man, they would have Happy pick up something or they would order food themselves. But they almost never cooked the meals they ate. 

There was something strangely mundane about it all as Mr. Stark moved about the kitchen. It was as though the past five years had never happened. Thanos never existed, the Snap never took place, and here they were, enjoying a weekend together like they did every weekend. It was peaceful.

A few minutes later, Mr. Stark was setting a plate in front of him, stacked high with golden waffles, syrup drizzling down the edges. He wasted no time in devouring the golden treat, feeling the gaze of Mr. Stark on him the entire time. 

The waffles were gone within minutes and he looked up sheepishly. “T-Thank you, sir.”

Mr. Stark smiled. “You liked them, huh?”

Peter nodded, unsure of how to respond. When silence soon filled the room, he glanced towards Mr. Stark and found that his smile had disappeared from his face and his eyes were locked on him. Peter could feel his heart pick up speed at the sudden and intense gaze. 

“... M-Mr. Stark,” he asked hesitantly, but the man didn’t say anything. Mr. Stark suddenly began to lean across the table that separated them, his arm reaching out towards Peter. 

Peter’s eyes widened and he remained frozen in place, sure that his heart was going to burst out of his chest. Mr. Stark’s hand was reaching towards his lips and before he could think better, he said quietly, his voice an octave higher than usual, “S-Sir?”

Mr. Stark immediately pulled his hand back and sat down in his chair, sipping his coffee casually as though nothing had happened. As Peter willed his heartbeat to return to normal, the atmosphere grew tense with this unspoken thing between them. Mr. Stark made no indication that he would explain what had just happened and Peter had no inclination to ask. 

It was at that moment that Peter’s phone chimed. He breathed a sigh of relief for the blessed distraction and looked at the new notification he received. 

He looked up to Mr. Stark, smiling brightly, tension momentarily forgotten. “I just got my roommate.”

Mr. Stark glanced between the phone in his hand and the wide smile on his face. He cleared his throat, voice hoarse as he asked, “Who is it?”

Peter quickly read through the email he received from MIT, finding his new roommate’s name. “Harry Osborn.”

Mr. Stark raised an eyebrow at that. “Osborn?”

“Yeah. Why?”

Mr. Stark waved a hand. “Nothing. I just recognize the name.” Seeing Peter’s confused expression, Mr. Stark chuckled. “Harry Osborn is the successor to Norman Osborn,” he explained. “The founder and CEO of Oscorp.”

Peter’s eyes widened, recognizing the name immediately. Mr. Stark chuckled before glancing down at his watch. “Happy will be coming by soon. You’ll be okay for a few hours?”

Peter nodded eagerly. “Don’t worry, Mr. Stark. I’ll be fine.”

Mr. Stark left him in the kitchen sipping on orange juice as he went to change into something more appropriate than old sweatpants and a worn tank top that showed off his muscular build-which Peter definitely did not notice. At all.  
——————————  
Tony quickly escaped the room, grateful for the excuse of having to get ready to meet Happy in a few minutes. His heart was pounding wildly and he tried desperately to reign it back in. What the hell was he doing?

When Peter devoured the waffles, it was as though Tony was hypnotized. His eyes were transfixed on the way the kid would lick his fingers and lips as the golden syrup stuck to his skin. His tongue would dart out hesitantly, lapping at the gooey sweetness, and Tony had the sudden and intense desire to taste the syrup on Peter’s tongue. 

The thought had come unbidden in his mind and he shoved it away instantly. But when his eyes inevitably drifted to Peter’s sweet mouth once again, he noticed the small trace of syrup clinging to his bottom lip. Normally, he would have told the kid to stop being such a mess and to clean himself up, but he found himself being drawn towards that small bead of sticky sweetness that rested on Peter’s lip. And there it was-that thought again of tasting Peter. It was completely absurd. But before he knew what he was doing, Tony was reaching out to run his thumb over Peter’s bottom lip. Thankfully, the kid broke him out of the trance before he could do something that they would both regret immensely. 

It must have been the sleep deprivation that was causing him to have these ridiculous thoughts. He was just exhausted and his mind was not functioning properly. Yes, that was all that was-just a single lapse in judgement because of limited sleep. He was sure that once he got a proper night’s rest, he would be completely back to normal. 

This is what Tony told himself as he changed and got ready for this meeting with Fury. It was not going to be fun. He honestly just wanted to get this alien thing done and over with and maybe, if he was lucky, he wouldn’t have to use the Infinity shards. Maybe he could go fix things with Pepper, watch Morgan grow up, stay with Peter and-

He paused. 

Why did he keep thinking about the kid? What the hell was wrong with him? That had to stop. Right now, before his mind began to imagine other things… He closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath before walking back out. 

He entered the kitchen, smiling when he saw Happy and the kid talking animatedly. When Peter laughed, Tony’s eyes flickered towards him and stayed there. Peter must have sensed his staring because he turned his head towards Tony. 

He sucked in a breath when their eyes collided. He told himself to say something instead of standing there staring like an idiot, but his mind had gone blank. The kid had big, brown eyes, filled with an emotion that he couldn’t place, that he didn’t know how to name. It was an intimate and intense moment, broken only when Happy cleared his throat. 

Tony forced himself to look away first. 

“You ready to go, boss?” He turned to Happy who was giving him a questioning look which he decidedly ignored. 

“Give me a second.” He walked towards Peter who still sat at the island, smiling as he approached. “I’ll be gone for a few hours. You’ll be okay by yourself?”

Peter nodded. “Yeah, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone, all right?” Tony smirked when the kid rolled his eyes, faking exasperation.

“Boss, we gotta go. Fury isn’t going to like it if we’re late.” Tony closed his eyes and imagined Happy being blasted with the repulsor rays of the Mark 86 he was currently working on. 

He gritted his teeth when the kid jumped out of his seat and approached him. “Wait. ‘ _Fury_ ’? You’re going to see Mr. Fury? Why? Did something happen? Do you need my help? Because if you do, I can-”

Tony placed a hand on Peter's shoulder, effectively ending his rambling. “Relax, kid. Fury just wants to give me an update. I’ve been out of the game for five years. I need to be filled in on everything I’ve missed if I’m going to join the team again.”

Tony had given this a lot of thought. He had abandoned Iron Man for five years out of respect for Pepper and love for Morgan. But when he was on that battlefield, he realized how much he had missed it. The excitement and thrill of it all. And he wanted it back. The domestic life was never for him. He had fooled himself into believing that he could be satisfied with juice pops and finger paints, but as much as he loved his daughter, he had to go back. 

And according to Fury, it seemed he didn’t have much of a choice. But Peter didn’t need to know that. He will keep the kid out of this for as long as he can. Tony doesn’t want him going through another experience like that again. So if he has to lie to the kid, so be it.

“Wait. Y-You’re really coming back, then? For good?” 

Tony smirked at the kid, reaching his hand up to pat his head affectionately, his fingers carding through the golden brown locks. “You missed me that much, huh?”

He enjoyed watching Peter’s face turn to a bright crimson as he looked down at his bare feet timidly. He gave the kid one last pat on the head before nodding to Happy, signaling that it was time to go. The two men stepped into the elevator and as the doors shut with a cheerful ding, Tony closed his eyes, memorizing the way Peter looked not one minute ago from his touch. 

“What’s going on with you and the kid?”

He opened his eyes and turned to Happy who was looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze. “What are you talking about?”

“Just… the way you look at each other. It’s-It’s… intense.”

Tony huffed a causal laugh, but it sounded forced in his mind. “You’re imagining things. Nothing’s going on.” 

Happy nodded and said nothing more on the subject, but Tony could tell that he didn’t believe him. And if he was being honest, he didn’t believe himself either.  
——————————  
Tony sucked in a breath when they reached S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. The facility was just as he remembered it-dank and depressing. 

Leaving Happy by the car, he forced himself to walk inside the building, all the while wishing he was literally anywhere else. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents walked past him, either not noticing or not caring who he was and what he was doing there. He smirked. He didn’t particularly want to be swarmed by people, but you’d think that saving the universe would earn him at least a passing glance. 

“And here I was thinking you weren’t going to show up.”

Tony turned to find Fury with his arms clasped in front of him, usual blank expression on his face. “Well, you know me. I could never pass up the offer to die saving the universe again.” 

Fury didn’t find his sarcasm amusing. “Just follow me, Stark. The others have been waiting for you.”

At the mention of his teammates, Tony asked, “How much have you told them, by the way? Do they know that you want me to use the Infinity shards?”

Fury began walking and Tony took that as a silent command to follow. “All they need to know is that there is another alien wanting to steal the shards.” Tony rolled his eyes. _Translation: the team has no idea that I am going to use the shards to turn the alien to ashes. Except this time around, I won’t be resurrected from the dead. Fantastic_. 

Tony snapped his fingers, suddenly remembering. “Don’t tell the kid about any of this. We’re keeping him out of it.” 

Fury stopped and turned around, lifting an eyebrow questioningly. “And why would we be doing that? The kid’s got skills that I can most definitely use.” 

Tony crossed his arms over his chest, unyielding and unrelenting. “He is not going through this again.” He knew Peter suffered from nightmares, from the memories that kept him awake in the late hours of the night. He didn’t need more. “You want me to use the shards? Keep Peter out of this.”

Fury gave him a hard stare. “Fine.”

They continued walking until they reached the end of a corridor. Fury opened a metal door after putting in a pin code and scanning his thumb. Tony stepped inside to find the team already sitting down at a long table. He glanced at the faces of the people that he had reluctantly agreed to calling his friends after the years of fighting they had done together. 

His eyes landed on Clint. It was the first time he had seen the man since the battle. Clint noticed his gaze and stood, coming towards him and placing a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “Glad to know you’re all right.” 

He gave Clint a gentle pat where his hand was resting on his shoulder before stepping away. 

He found an empty seat next to Rhodey who clapped him on the back and said, “Good to see you, man.”

Tony gave him a half smile. “You, too, buddy.” But Rhodey must have seen the tiredness in the way he hunched his shoulders and the exhaustion in the dark bruises under his eyes. He leaned in and whispered so only the two of them could hear, “You all right?” 

Tony nodded. But by the way Rhodey pursed his lips and scrunched his brow in concern, he knew that his friend did not believe him. 

“Can we get this thing started? Some of us don’t want to sit here all day.” Tony glanced to his left. Although he never really liked the Winter Soldier, he knew that Bucky was in rough shape when he found out that Cap had chosen to stay in his timeline. Tony understood what the man was going through. He had lost Nat, one of his closest friends. And he missed her. 

Fury chose to ignore Bucky’s comment. Instead, he stood at the front of the room, glancing around at the Avengers, ensuring he had their attention before gesturing to Maria Hill who sat to the right of him. She nodded and a hologram appeared in the center of the table of the Infinity shards. Tony sucked in a breath.

“Now, here’s what we know,” Fury said, staring coldly at the glowing shards tinged with blue from the hologram. “Another alien who worked closely with Thanos in the past is after these shards from the Infinity stones. Satellite and radar cannot track them, so we have to draw them out.”

“How do you plan on doing that,” Sam asked from his seat at the table. “It’s not as if we can wave the shards in the air and hope this alien takes the bait.”

The room went silent as all heads turned to Fury who gave them a shrug. Everyone seemed to understand at that moment what his plan was. Chairs screeched and hands slammed down on the table as protests ensued. Tony brought his hand to his temple, trying to rid a growing headache. 

Bruce was the first one to speak above the chaos. “That is a terrible plan. Remember what happened the last time we allowed an evil alien to get his hands on the Infinity stones? He wiped out half of the universe.”

Fury’s face remained stern and unrelenting. “That won’t happen.”

“And how can you be so sure?” Wanda sighed, as she pressed her fingers to her temple. 

Fury looked towards her. “Because the shards are not going to be the bait.”

Clint flung his hands up in the air, exasperated. “Now I’m confused.”

Fury remained silent. Tony peered at the man, scrutinizing his expression. He had gotten pretty good at reading Fury’s thoughts after all this time. He knew what the man was thinking, often before he knew it himself. So it was no surprise when he realized what Fury was planning and huffed a laugh. The noise resonated throughout the silent room and all heads turned to him. Tony glanced to Thor who sat with his hand resting on Stormbreaker. “Do you happen to remember where a certain wizard lives?” 

The God of Thunder peered at him curiously before a smile appeared on his face. 

Rhodey looked between the two of them. “Can one of you tell the rest of us what the hell is going on?”

Fury answered for him. “As I recall, there is a wizard in New York that goes by the name ‘Doctor Strange’. I heard he’s good at illusions.”

“So you want this guy to create a fake of the Infinity shards and hope this alien shows up,” Bucky asks from the corner, tapping his metal fingers on the table. 

Fury nodded his head, but Bruce spoke up. “But the alien is tracking the incredible amount of power that the shards give off. They won’t fall for a mirage.”

Tony smiled at his friend. “I think we can whip up something like that.”

Bruce sighs, but says nothing. 

“But even if we manage to lure this alien out of hiding, they worked closely with Thanos. They are probably dangerous,” Wanda said.

Thor laughed, swinging his axe in the air enthusiastically. “They are no match for me and Stormbreaker. Let them come.”

Wanda rolled her eyes at the god’s arrogance. “No, I agree with Wanda on this one,” Sam said, earning a glare from Thor. “We’re going to need backup.”

Tony sucked in a breath. This is the exact thing he _didn’t_ want to happen. He closed his eyes and braced himself as Rhodey looked to him and said, “Can we bring in the kid?”

All heads turned to him, waiting to hear his answer. As Peter’s unofficially official mentor, it was ultimately his call what he did and didn’t do. And there was no way in hell that he was letting that kid anywhere near this one. 

“No,” he declared, leaving absolutely no room for argument. “The kid stays out of it.”

Rhodey looked at him sympathetically. He knew that Tony and Peter had a close relationship and that Tony would do anything for the kid because he cared about him so much, but if there was any chance that Peter could help during this battle, then… “Tony, I-”

But Tony shook his head before Rhodey could even get the words out. “No. Absolutely not. The kid is not going anywhere near this.”

Sam looked at him questioningly. “He’s not exactly a kid anymore.”

“I don’t care,” Tony said. “He stays out of this. Or I will.”

The room went dead silent at Tony’s admission. He didn’t say the exact words, but he didn’t have to. Tony wanted to slap himself. He was such an idiot. He had just revealed something he shouldn’t have. He couldn’t explain what it was, but it was something that was not meant to be shown to anyone else. It was meant to stay sealed in a very dark place of his heart and never see the light of day. But like the complete idiot that he was, he dragged it up to the surface and showed it for all to see.

Bruce was the first one to speak. “...What about Scott? We could ask him.” When no one had any objections, Fury told Maria to contact the man. 

“So when is this going down? I gotta let Laura know,” Clint said, as Tony gritted his teeth. He was happy for the man who had a solid and uncomplicated relationship with his wife. But he didn’t need to be reminded of that. He and Pepper were anything but simple. And right now, he had no idea what their relationship was. He just wanted to see if he could try and fix it.

Tony was so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice that everyone was looking at him expectantly. “What?”

Rhodey brought a hand to his shoulder, concern in his eyes. “You all right?”

Tony waved his hand away. “Fine. Just lost in thought. What did I miss?”

“You need to contact Doctor Strange and ask him how long it will take to make a replica of the Infinity shards,” Fury said.

“Got it.” Tony nodded and began to stand up. “Now, if we’re all set, I got things to do.” 

He quickly exited before anyone could object to his hasty retreat. Although he didn’t _really_ have things to do, there was a certain little spider that he was anxious to get back to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... what did you guys think? Does anybody else want to slap Fury? A few of you have commented that you’d like Peter to do the honors. And although I can’t give too much away, I can tell you guys that Peter will eventually confront Fury, it will just be happening much later on in the story. But it will come, so don’t worry! I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter and I will try and get the next one up as soon as possible! Please comment, I love hearing what everybody thinks! Until next time!


	5. Temptation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I just want to say thank you so so much! Last chapter reached over 100 kudos! Keep it up guys! I am so happy that everyone has been enjoying my story! It means so much to me! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! As you can imagine from the title of the chapter, things get a little bit more... interesting.

Peter sat on one of the many comfortable leather couches and chairs that littered the room. He was texting with Ned, while simultaneously pretending that he was not missing Mr. Stark at all. The man had left hours ago and still hadn’t returned.

Peter wondered what he was doing. According to Mr. Stark, Nick Fury was debriefing him on everything he had missed in the five years he spent away with Pepper and Morgan. And Peter was thrilled to have Mr. Stark back on the team-although to him, it felt as though he never left-but he questioned why Mr. Stark had not brought Peter along with him.

Peter was gone for five years, too. If he was planning on becoming a full-time Avenger somewhere in the near future-which he certainly was-shouldn’t he have gone with Mr. Stark to be debriefed as well? Something didn’t make sense about the situation. He wanted to question Mr. Stark about it, but he didn’t want to push the man. They were having a great time so far this weekend, he didn’t want to ruin it by asking questions that Mr. Stark wasn’t ready to answer.

His phone chimed with a new notification. He smiled as he read the text message he had received from Ned.

_I got this new Millennium Falcon LEGO set for my birthday! You gotta check it out! Wanna come over?_

Peter immediately smiled, ready to send a reply, saying that he very much wanted to come over, but then remembered that he was spending the entire weekend with Mr. Stark. The Millennium Falcon LEGO set was tempting, but Mr. Stark was more so.

_Sorry_ , he texted back. _I can’t this weekend._

_Why not?_

Peter bit his lip, unsure of how much he should reveal. Ned knew he was Spider-Man and that Mr. Stark was his mentor, so it would be understandable that Peter would spend time with the man, but Ned didn’t know just how much time Peter was spending with Mr. Stark. Somehow, Peter had a feeling that Ned wouldn’t be too happy if he found out that he spent almost every weekend with Mr. Stark at the penthouse before the Snap. Just the two of them. Alone.

He sent a vague reply that would give nothing away. _Avengers business._

_Is something wrong?_

_No. It’s just that Mr. Stark needs me this weekend._

Peter sent the message without thinking and immediately wished he hadn’t. He had just revealed something that he really wished he hadn’t. He wanted his weekend with Mr. Stark to just be between the two of them.

Peter grew anxious when he did not get an immediate text back from Ned like he usually did. He fidgeted in his seat for several minutes before a chime resounded from his phone. But it wasn’t from Ned this time. It was from Mr. Stark. 

_Hey, kid. Sorry I’m late. Do you want Happy to pick up anything on our way back?_

Peter’s heart pounded rapidly inside his chest as he tried to think of how to respond. Before he could begin typing, a text from MJ appeared on his screen.

He sighed and switched conversations, wishing he had said nothing to Ned, who must have told MJ about Peter being at Mr. Stark’s penthouse all weekend.

_Why are you hanging out with Stark? I thought you were over your childhood hero crush?_

Peter could feel his face burning with embarrassment. Was he really that obvious? Did anyone else besides MJ know about his feelings towards Mr. Stark? His phone chimed, alerting him to another text from Ned. 

_Sorry. I told MJ._

_But it’s weird you being with him the entire weekend. I thought you were over him._

Peter didn't appreciate the fact that his seemingly transparent infatuation with Mr. Stark kept being thrown in his face, but Peter reluctantly forgave his friend. He didn’t have many to spare. And although he wasn’t exactly mad, he wished that Ned had kept his big mouth shut about Peter being with Mr. Stark this weekend. How Ned managed to keep Peter being Spider-Man a secret from everyone was a mystery to him. 

Peter was growing irritated with these conversations. He shouldn’t have to explain himself. He should be able to do whatever he wanted without being scrutinized by his friends. When a new message popped up, he assumed it was from MJ. He groaned and sent a rapid text to her, not caring what he revealed. If MJ already knew how he felt, then what was the point of hiding it from her?

_It’s not just a crush. I really like him…so I’ll be trying to spend a lot of time with him._

He sent the message without thinking and just waited for MJ to respond back, telling him how bad this plan of his was and how he should give up before he got hurt. 

But the message never came. He frowned at his phone and unlocked it, scrolling through their conversations together until he reached today’s, but his text never sent. His brow scrunched in confusion. He had sent the message, but why was it not showing up in his conversation with MJ? 

Then a thought occurred to him, one that filled him with dread and twisted his stomach into tight knots. He prayed that he had sent the message to Ned by accident, because the alternative would be just too humiliating to consider. But when he scrolled through their conversation, his message was nowhere to be found. 

Peter closed his eyes and swallowed the bile that was rising in the back of his throat. With trembling fingers, he clicked on his conversation with Mr. Stark. And there, at the very bottom, was the message that he had meant to send to MJ.

Peter bit his lip and held back tears as his face flooded with heat. This was humiliating. How could he have been so stupid? How did he not see that he was texting Mr. Stark and not MJ? His heart was pounding erratically. 

_Oh, god_ , Peter thought to himself. _What if he knows I was talking about him?_ He quickly reread the message one, two, three times, but decided that there was no way Mr. Stark would know that Peter was referring to him. 

But what would he say to Peter when he got back? He had to have read the message by now. 

Peter anxiously waited for Mr. Stark’s return, his leg bouncing nervously and his fingers fiddling with the phone in his hand. 

When the elevator made a soft _ding_ to announce that it had arrived at this floor, Peter sucked in a breath. He didn’t turn his head to see who was coming out when the doors opened, he knew who it was from the heartbeat that he often listened to during the late hours of the night to calm him from his terrifying nightmares. Now, all that heartbeat did was cause Peter’s face to catch fire as a fresh wave of embarrassment flooded his body. 

His breathing accelerated when Mr. Stark walked into the room that he was currently in, sitting on one of the leather couches. Peter could feel his gaze on him and he waited for Mr. Stark to say something, _anything_ , to break the silence in the room. But when several minutes had passed with Peter looking down at the ground and Mr. Stark watching him steadily, Peter felt like he had to speak up to explain himself. 

“M-Mr. Stark, I… I’m s-sorry. About… what I sent. To y-you.”

He didn’t dare lift his eyes as he waited for Mr. Stark to speak, but when the man didn’t give any indication that he had even heard him, Peter sucked in a breath.

“I-I was texting with MJ and Ned and I accidentally sent you the message that I meant to send to them because I was frustrated and wasn’t paying attention and I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to and-”

“Peter.”

He immediately stopped his ramblings at Mr. Stark saying his name. 

“It’s fine, kid. Really.”

Peter hesitantly lifted his head, his eyes finding Mr. Stark’s and instantly wishing they hadn’t. There was an intensity to his features that seemed to sap all of the strength from Peter’s body.

Mr. Stark’s eyes were filled with a silent fury that Peter could not decipher. Was Mr. Stark mad at him for sending him the message? Peter had apologized profusely. Why was Mr. Stark angry with him for a simple mistake? Unless maybe… 

Peter had never actually told anyone except Ned and MJ about him being gay. And although he wasn’t hiding it, he hadn’t explicitly said it to anyone on the team, including Mr. Stark. Maybe Mr. Stark was mad at Peter for not telling him? Or maybe Mr. Stark didn’t like the fact that he was gay? Peter prayed that this wasn’t the case. He didn’t know if he could handle Mr. Stark not wanting to be around him anymore just because he was physically attracted to guys.

Peter had to ask. He had to know. It would drive him crazy if he didn’t. 

“Um…M-Mr. Stark?” Peter fidgeted in his seat. “A-Are you angry that I’m… I mean. D-D you not like me being…?” He couldn’t force the word past his lips, but Mr. Stark seemed to fill in the gap. 

The man rubbed a hand down his face while Peter waited anxiously. “Jesus, Peter. No, I’m not mad that you’re gay.”

Peter felt as though he could breathe again. He sighed and sank back into the leather couch, relief flooding over him. Mr. Stark wasn’t mad at him. 

But Peter could see in his eyes that he was still angry about something. “S-Sir?”

Mr. Stark looked at him. “A-Are you alright? You seem…upset.”

Mr. Stark shook his head. “Nothing you need to concern yourself with.” His tone was harsh and allowed no room for questioning. Peter pursed his lips, but said no more. 

“Did you eat something yet?”

“Huh?”

Mr. Stark smiled at his obliviousness. “Did you eat yet?”

Peter shook his head. “N-No. I was waiting. F-For you.”

Mr. Stark stared at him for a few moments and the atmosphere grew charged with something that Peter could not hope to describe or understand. He just didn’t want whatever it was to end. But then Mr. Stark broke it by standing up and walking towards the kitchen. Peter had no choice but to follow. 

Mr. Stark was reaching for his phone. “What do you want? Chinese? Thai? There’s this thing called Shawarma. I don’t know what it is, but I want to try it.”

Peter laughed lightly before saying, “How about Thai?” 

“Good choice.”

It was about thirty minutes later when their food came and the two of them were sitting at the island in the kitchen. Peter was shoving the food into his mouth, not really caring about what he was eating. Thanks to his ridiculously high metabolism, he was always hungry and tonight was no exception. 

When he had polished off the last of his food and Mr. Stark had barely eaten half of his, the older man silently pushed his plastic container towards Peter. 

“M-Mr. Stark,” Peter started. “I-I couldn’t-”

“Just take it, kid. I don’t eat much anyway.” Then in a much quieter tone, “Not since five years ago.”

Mr. Stark had said the last sentence quietly, mumbling it to himself, but he must have forgotten Peter’s sensitive hearing, because he heard it with perfect clarity. Peter said nothing, choosing to ignore the comment and pretend he never heard it. He would analyze it by himself in the quiet hours of the night when horrible memories would keep him from sleep. 

When the last of the food was licked clean, Mr. Stark asked him if he wanted to watch a movie and Peter jumped at the offer, which caused his cheeks to burn when Mr. Stark chuckled at his enthusiasm. He had gotten to pick whatever movie he wanted and Peter had chosen one of his favorites, settling deeply within the comfortable couch cushions, waiting excitedly for the movie to start.

Mr. Stark sat next to him on the couch, a respectable distance away, but close enough where if Peter were to place his hand between them on the couch, he would be able to feel Mr. Stark’s body heat. 

The lights were dimmed and the movie began, but Peter was faced with a problem. He found it extremely difficult to focus on the movie when Mr. Stark was sitting a foot away from him. It was the closest Peter had been to the man ever since their brief reunion on the battlefield and he was finding it hard to concentrate on the screen in front of him when he could admire Mr. Stark from his periphery. 

To most, Mr. Stark was difficult and unyielding. But to Peter, he was considerate and caring. He always put Peter before himself. Always made sure that Peter had the most advanced suit possible before jumping off roofs and scaling buildings. Always made sure that Peter ate regular meals because of his enhanced metabolism that required he eat consistently. Always made sure that Peter was protected and came back after every battle, even if it took five years. 

Peter liked to think that he knew Mr. Stark better than most. And sitting with him on this couch, a movie playing in front of them that he wasn’t paying attention to, he knew that this was something Mr. Stark wouldn’t do for just anyone-at least, he hoped so.

Peter found himself growing tired as the movie progressed, his eyes growing heavier. He felt so warm and full and content sitting here. And with Mr. Stark right beside him, he had never felt more safe than in this moment. He could tell that his spidey senses were relaxing, no longer feeling the need to stay alert. Peter didn’t bother fighting as the irresistible pull towards sleep dragged him under.  
____________________  
Tony didn’t know how to feel when he read the text message he had received from Peter when he was on his way back to the penthouse. _I really like him._ His heart had completely stopped as he reread the message over and over again. 

He had always thought that Peter liked that one girl he always seemed to talk about… MJ? He assumed they would eventually date. He had no idea that Peter could actually be gay. It had never occurred to him. And for some inexplicable reason, the revelation that Peter was attracted to other guys did strange things to his heart as his breathing accelerated. But then the other revelation hit. 

Who could Peter have been talking about? He rattled his brain for anybody that Peter spent a lot of time around. That kid, Ned, came to mind, but Tony knew that Peter was strictly friends with him. _It’s not just a crush._ Tony suddenly thought of Norman’s kid, Harry. Once Tony explained to Peter that his roommate was the heir of Oscorp, a strange fascination had lit up across Peter’s face. Perhaps Harry Osborne was Peter’s new crush. It would make sense, considering how Peter would soon be spending a lot of time with the boy because they would be roommates.

Harry Osborne. Tony didn’t know much about the kid, except what everyone knew: he was a rich playboy billionaire, almost reminding Tony of a younger and more irresponsible version of himself. The thought that Peter had a crush on this kid made Tony clench his fists in the backseat and grit his teeth. He spent the last remaining moments of the car ride searching up every article, video, and picture he could find about Harry Osborne. 

The more he saw, the more he disapproved. This kid was all wrong for Peter, who deserved much more than whatever that idiot could provide. But he didn’t say anything to Peter when he arrived back at the penthouse and was questioned about his sour behavior. He didn’t want to let on that he knew the object of Peter’s misplaced affection. He plastered a smile on his face as they ate dinner, all the while planning to call his contacts at MIT and switch Peter’s roommates. No way in hell was Harry Osborne spending several months sleeping in the same room as Peter.

But when the movie began to play, he had more pressing concerns than Peter’s troublesome crush. Tony was trying his damnedest not to look at the kid. He could feel eyes on him the entire time he was trying to watch the ridiculous movie that Peter had picked out. He knew he shouldn’t have let the kid decide the movie, knowing that he would pick one at least twenty years before his time. But when Tony saw the unabashed enthusiasm that lit up Peter’s expression when he mentioned a movie, he knew that he would let Peter pick out anything he wanted, uncaring of how old it was.

But now, he was faced with a different problem besides the age of a movie. Peter was openly staring at him and he was trying his hardest to pretend he didn’t notice. Tony didn’t know what else he could do. There was nothing subtle about the way that the kid would glance at him every so often and the way his hand would come to rest between them. 

Tony ignored this and tried to focus on the screen in front of him, but he certainly couldn’t concentrate when all of the sudden, a soft snore came from beside him. He turned cautiously and found Peter asleep, his head dipping downwards and his mouth parted slightly as quiet snores escaped his lips. 

Tony chuckled lightly and turned the movie off, the room descending into darkness except for the occasional moonlight streaking through the windows. He watched the kid for a few moments, admiring the silky curls that cascaded into his eyes, the delicate curve of his nose, and his soft pink lips that Tony immediately turned away from, unwilling to let his mind wander further than that. 

He hesitated for a moment, unsure of what he should do and what he wanted to do. There seemed to be a growing gap these days between both. He ultimately settled on taking the kid to the guest bedroom that really was his at this point-Tony didn’t have anyone else stay at the penthouse other than Peter anyways. Another fact that he distinctly ignored. 

He carefully leaned down and scooped Peter up until the kid was curled against his chest. Tony tried his hardest to pretend he didn’t enjoy the way that Peter was pressed against him. He didn’t enjoy the soft sounds that slipped past Peter’s lips. And he _definitely_ didn’t enjoy the way that Peter burrowed his head into Tony’s chest. No. Definitely not.

Tony brought the kid down the hall to the guest bedroom, only a few short steps away from his, a fact that made his sleep very difficult last night. It had been five years since Peter slept in the penthouse. Five years since they had been this close to one another. Tony couldn’t calm his racing thoughts that seemed to enjoy his torment. 

He slipped inside the guest bedroom, laying Peter down on the king-sized bed with a gentleness near reverence. He made to leave, not wanting to be in the room longer than physically possible, but as his hand touched the door knob, he heard something that made his heart stop. 

A whimper. 

Tony turned around, thinking at first that Peter was having a nightmare, which he understood all too well. There were nights when he finally did close his eyes, only to wake up drenched in sweat, the image of Peter clinging onto him as he turned to dust burned in his retinas. Tony wanted to offer the boy some comfort in hopes that whatever nightmares that plagued him would recede, if only briefly. 

But as he approached the bed, Tony slowed and then ground to a screeching halt. A soft whine echoed in the silent room and Tony watched as Peter began to move and squirm. He clenched his fists tightly when Peter started to pant and thrust his hips erratically, his hands gripping the bed sheets desperately and his brow scrunched together in deep concentration. Sweat began to bead along Peter’s brow as his back arched off the bed, trying to find pressure that wasn’t there.

Tony closed his eyes, his traitorous mind already committing the image to memory of Peter sprawled on the bed, panting and whimpering, his hips thrusting upwards into open air as he desperately tried to reach an end that wouldn’t come. Well, that image certainly wouldn’t be going away any time soon. 

“...Mmm… M-Mr. Stark-”

His eyes shot open, his pupils blown wide. The kid had just said his name as he laid on the bed, panting and whimpering. The implications there were impossible to ignore. Tony told himself not to look, not to take a step towards the bed, but his body moved of its own accord and Tony had no choice but to watch as Peter brought a trembling hand to his front. Tony stared helplessly as Peter’s hand slid lower and lower towards the growing bulge in his shorts. 

As Peter began to stroke himself, his movements clumsy and inexperienced, Tony knew he shouldn’t have been watching this. He shouldn’t have known the flush of Peter’s cheeks or the whimpering of his voice as he stroked himself in his sleep. But he did now, and he wasn’t sure how he would be able to pretend he didn’t. The image was locked tightly away and he had already thrown away the key. No way was he going to be able to forget it. 

Tony watched as Peter reached his end with a small whimper, a dark spot spreading on the front of his shorts and his body becoming pliant as he sunk into the mattress. Peter’s head rolled to the side in his satiated state. 

Tony’s hand reached out, ready to stroke the curls off of Peter’s sweaty forehead and place a cooling hand to his cheek. But when Peter sighed contentedly, Tony came to his senses and retracted his hand immediately. He turned and quickly escaped the room, not trusting himself to be in there any longer. 

He made it to his room and shut the door behind him. Leaning back against the wood, he dragged both hands down his face, as though he could somehow scrub the image of Peter aroused and calling out his name from his mind. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t stop his traitorous brain from replaying that scene over and over. 

His pants had begun to grow increasingly tight and he cursed himself. Ignoring the obvious discomfort, Tony mindlessly headed towards his attached bathroom. He stripped down and turned on the shower to the coldest temperature it could go without FRIDAY alerting him of the possible dangers of hypothermia. He stepped inside without thinking and allowed the freezing water to cool down his feverish state. After several long and uncomfortable minutes, he looked down to find his still fully aroused state. 

_Fuck._.  
____________________  
Peter opened his eyes and immediately knew that something was wrong. He looked down and grimaced at the dried stain on the front of his shorts. It was incredibly uncomfortable and he desperately needed a shower to wash off the evidence of his embarrassing behavior last night. 

He knew he had fallen asleep during the movie, his spidey senses growing complacent in the presence of Mr. Stark. Once his eyes had slid shut, he remembered nothing but a solid warmth pressed against his side. It was what had started the tantalizing dream and it was what caused the dried mess in his shorts. 

He remembered the dream with excruciating detail. The irresistible warmth he felt when he was lying on the bed, Mr. Stark giving him the delicious pressure that he craved. The rough hands with delicate touches that explored his entire body, sending him to a place that he had never thought possible. The whimpers and moans that forced themselves past his lips when Mr. Stark finally gave him what he desperately needed. 

It was such an intense dream, one that felt entirely real. And Peter wanted it to be, but he knew that that could never happen. Mr. Stark was unavailable in every sense of the word. He was married to Pepper and he had a daughter. Although Peter didn’t know Morgan, he knew Pepper, and there was no way that he would ever betray her. 

He sighed to himself and quickly hopped out of bed, speeding towards the attached bathroom. He wasted no time in peeling himself out of his clothes and getting under the spray of the hot water. He relished in the feeling of being clean and warm. Peter leaned against the glass door, pressing his forehead against the cool surface. He dreaded the thought of having to face Mr. Stark. 

Peter had no idea what Mr. Stark had heard last night. Chances are, the man was probably awake like he was almost every night. If Peter happened to be particularly loud, which he suspected he was because of the intensity of his dream, their rooms weren’t that far apart and it was a distinct possibility that he could have been heard. Peter wasn’t sure he would be able to live through that embarrassment. 

When the hot water turned his skin red and he had scrubbed all evidence of his activities last night, he forced himself out of the shower. Not bothering to do anything with the wet curls that clung to the back of his neck and forehead, he changed and peeked his head out of the hallway. He heard a heartbeat coming from the kitchen, but it was not Mr. Stark. Peter frowned and hesitantly made his way down the hall to find Happy cooking eggs.

“Happy,” Peter exclaimed, smiling at the man.

Happy glanced over his shoulder, offering a smile before turning back around. “Good, you’re up.”

Peter looked curiously at him and around the space, they were the only people there. “Where’s-”

Happy didn’t bother waiting for him to finish, he knew what the kid was going to ask. “Mr. Stark had an unexpected business meeting that he couldn’t miss.”

Peter felt his face fall, disappointed. Mr. Stark was gone for most of the afternoon yesterday, too, to meet with Mr. Fury. Maybe he was going back this morning, but how much debriefing could he possibly need? Peter suspected that something was going on, something Mr. Stark wasn’t telling him. But he had no idea what and it was driving him insane. 

He was an Avenger. He fought Thanos with Mr. Stark and all of the others and helped save the universe. He deserved to know everything that was going on. He hated when Mr. Stark treated him like a meddlesome child who had no right to be sneaking around asking questions. He knew that the man just wanted to protect him, but Peter felt that sometimes he needed to remind Mr. Stark that he was actually stronger than him. Although last time he tried that, hundreds of people almost died on a ferry that he was responsible for destroying and Mr. Stark had to come and rescue him. He didn’t want to make the same mistake again.

Peter heaved a sigh. “I guess I should probably be heading back home, then.”

Happy turned off the stove top and scooped the eggs onto a plate. He pushed the meal towards Peter. “Eat. I’ll drive you back when you’re done.”

Peter gave a half-hearted smile. “Thanks, Happy.”

The man said nothing, instead turning towards the elevator to pull the car around the front of the building for Peter when he was ready. Peter was left alone and he mindlessly pushed the eggs into his mouth before going to the guest bedroom to pack his things. He made his way down to the front lobby, passing the same concierge he saw on his way in, still not receiving any spare glance. 

Happy was waiting for him with the car and the two of them drove the ride back to his apartment in relative silence. Peter was too lost in thought to really start up a conversation and he didn’t feel like he was in a talkative mood anyway. 

When the car pulled up to Peter’s apartment building, Happy turned to look at Peter in the backseat. “Listen, kid. Go easy on Tony. He means well, even though he has a terrible way of showing it. Just give him some time and I’m sure he’ll come around. Don’t do anything stupid in the meantime.”

Peter smiled. “Thanks, Happy.” 

He hopped out of the car, slinging his tattered backpack over his shoulder before heading up the stairs. He knew May wouldn't be home yet. She had been doing extra shifts recently in order to pay for his college tuition. Even though he had received a large merit scholarship, it wouldn’t completely cover the tuition price. May wouldn’t put him in an awkward situation, but he knew that she wanted him to ask Mr. Stark to cover the cost. Just like he knew that if he asked Mr. Stark, Peter would be given the necessary funds without hesitation. But he refused to do that, not wanting to rely on Mr. Stark for everything. 

Peter reached his door and he was about to put the key into the lock, but something stopped him. His heightened senses were warning him that something was wrong, and whatever it was, it was inside his house. He silently cursed himself when he realized that he had left both of his suits inside his bedroom, thinking that he wouldn’t need them when Mr. Stark would be with him all weekend. However, he did have his web shooters. 

He listened carefully and could hear a deep, faint thump. The sound of a heartbeat. Someone was inside his apartment and he knew it wasn’t May-he would’ve been able to tell if it was her. No, this heartbeat was slow and deep and powerful, unlike any that he had ever heard before. 

Peter held his breath and turned the knob, bracing himself for anything. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but what he saw made his heart stop completely.

Sitting in his living room, on the faded worn couch that he had sat in not two days ago, was an alien. It was certainly feminine, based upon the thin black suit that covered her like a second skin, doing very little to hide her curves. Peter glanced down at her feet to find them bare. He was startled by the way her dark blue skin was dotted with small lights, almost like a night sky. 

From her feet, his eyes slowly trailed up her figure, until reaching her face. Peter jumped back, his body hitting the door behind him. Her blue skin and long hair was nothing compared to her eyes, if one could even call them that. There was no iris or pupil, just solid blackness that made him feel like if he stared too long into them, he would be falling into oblivion. 

Peter’s heart was pounding frantically inside his chest. “W-Who are y-you,” he managed to squeak out. 

She turned to him, dragging her eyes across his frame and defensive stance, before rising from the couch and taking a step towards him. She flashed a smile that was entirely threatening and showed no hint of kindness. 

“Peter Parker.”

He jumped at his name coming from her lips. Her voice was cold and sent shivers down his spine.

“H-How do you know my n-name?”

Ignoring his question, her smile widened, showcasing her sharp rows of teeth. “I have been waiting for you.”

Peter gulped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Duh Duh DUH! I hope you guys liked this chapter! I personally LOVED writing it! Please leave comments/kudos/subscriptions if you haven't already. They really push me to get these chapters out faster! Anyways, please stay healthy and safe everybody and I will be posting the next chapter before you know it! Until next time!


	6. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I hope you all are being safe and healthy during this strange time. I have a new chapter for you guys and as the title suggests, some questions will be answered! Enjoy reading and please don't hesitate to leave me comments/kudos! They really encourage me!

He drained the glass in one go, the liquor burning a path down his throat. He was drunk. Totally and completely drunk. 

He felt the floor moving underneath him and his hand gripped the counter of the bar to try and steady himself as the world swayed. He blinked his eyes rapidly to clear his blurry vision so he could concentrate on flagging down the bartender for another drink. 

He faintly heard footsteps approaching him and sighed in relief. But what he thought was the bartender giving him another glass, was actually a man who placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned and looked up at him blearily. 

“What the hell is going on?”

Although his vision was still doing loops, he recognized the annoyed voice even in his drunken state. He sighed to himself and managed to find the bartender. Another glass was placed in front of him and without hesitation, he drank the entire thing. 

“What are you doing,” the man demanded. He turned away and explicitly ignored the question. He was being asked things that he didn’t want to answer. That he couldn’t answer. 

“You’ve been sober ever since that night five years ago. Now I’m getting a call from Happy saying that you’ve left the penthouse in the middle of the night and I find you here completely wasted. What the hell is going on, Tony?”

He looked up at his oldest friend. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

Rhodey gave him a hard and disbelieving stare. “Bullshit.”

Tony remained silent, wishing that he had another glass in his hand. “You have to tell me what’s going on. I don’t want a repeat of that night five years ago.” Rhodey closed his eyes, remembering that day with vivid clarity. He had never seen Tony act that way before, as though he were possessed. 

It was a few weeks after the Snap. Tony had begun to recover physically, but his mind was somewhere else far away, where not even Pepper could reach him. He was quiet most days, not saying much. Not moving much. Only doing what he needed to keep his body alive. They were all scared for him. Something had happened to him when he had come off that ship, as though his brain couldn’t process having lost against Thanos. He was always one to hold all of the blame, even when it wasn’t his to carry. 

Rhodey came to check up on Tony periodically, just to make sure that he was doing alright, even though Rhodey knew he wasn’t. 

One day, he walked into the room to find Tony sitting in his bed, motionless, staring at something he was holding tightly in his hands. When Rhodey called his name, Tony made no indication that he had even heard it. He just kept staring at the thing in his hands. Rhodey approached the bed cautiously, as one would a wounded animal. When he was close enough, he heard Tony mumble, “He’s gone.”

“What?”

Tony was silent for a moment, and then without warning, jumped out of the bed and flung the object he was holding at the wall, glass shattering upon impact. He turned towards Rhodey with crazed, wild eyes and shouted, “He is gone!”

Tony raced out of the room before Rhodey even had a chance to stop him and demand he explain what is happening. Then, his eyes caught the shattered glass in the corner. He bent down and carefully sifted amongst the shards to pick up the photo still nestled within the broken picture frame. 

Rhodey immediately understood. The photo was of Tony and Peter. It was the day that Peter and his team had won the scholastic competition. Tony had insisted on going to watch and Rhodey remembered the way he smiled when Peter won. They took this photo afterwards. Rhodey sighed and carefully put the picture on the nightstand before going to look for Tony.

He had found him several hours later at some cheap bar, downing a glass of something that certainly wasn’t soda. Tony never said anything to him about it and Rhodey never asked. He didn’t have to. 

Soon, Tony stopped talking about Peter altogether and so did the others, afraid of upsetting him. It was as though Peter Parker never existed at all. Tony stopped drinking, too, after that night. Rhodey always suspected that that was because of Peter, just like he suspected that the real reason Tony agreed to helping reverse the Snap was because of Peter. 

And now, looking at Tony downing another glass, Rhodey knew that this, too, was because of Peter Parker. 

He placed a hand on Tony’s shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner. “Peter is fine. He’s not going anywhere. He’s safe.”

Tony closed his eyes and scrubbed his hands over his face, reminded of the very thing he came here to forget. “I know that.” He was the one who made sure that Peter stayed safe. It was the reason he was keeping Peter out of this new threat. But he had more pressing concerns at the moment. “I screwed up, Rhodey. Bad.”

His friend looked at him questioningly. “What is it? It can’t be worse than anything you’ve already done.”

His silence along with the guilty expression on his face made Rhodey curse under his breath. “What did you do?”

He refused to answer. He couldn’t say the words. “Seriously, Tony. You’re starting to freak me out. What the hell did you do that was so bad?”

Tony closed his eyes. He remembered the way that Peter cried out his name. The flush on his cheeks. The whimpers and moans. Those perfect, sweet lips which he had imagined in the shower as he came undone. That was the reason for him being here. He was not about to tell Rhodey that he was behaving like some hormonal teenager, masturbating in the shower. And he certainly was not going to tell Rhodey that it was because of Peter. 

He shook his head and stood up, stumbling before catching himself on the counter of the bar. “Nothing,” he grumbled, as he made his way towards the exit. It was already well into the morning. Peter was probably awake and heading home by now. “It’s nothing.” 

He staggered out of the bar with Rhodey nervously trailing after him, as though he were afraid Tony was going to put on his suit and start blasting buildings. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes or make a snarky remark, instead allowing Rhodey to drive him back to his penthouse. 

His head was pounding by the time Rhodey helped him out of the car, up the elevator, and to his room where he then collapsed in his bed. He assumed that Rhodey was going to stay with him for the rest of the day to ensure that he didn’t do anything else that was incredibly stupid. Tony would have argued with him if it weren’t for the fact that the world was spinning again and his brain felt that it might burst from his skull. He might have heard something about Rhodey going to make coffee for himself before leaving the room, but he didn’t really care. He buried his head in the pillow and closed his eyes and finally slept. 

Although he had no nightmares this time, Tony wouldn’t call his sleep entirely restful. He certainly didn’t feel rested when his phone began to ring, waking him. He groaned when he noticed the caller ID was Nick Fury. He had no patience to deal with that man right now and knowing Fury, it was probably some ridiculous update to inform him of things that he already knew. Tony swiftly turned off his phone and fell back asleep.   
____________________  
“Doctor Strange has agreed to the plan and informed me that replicating the shards will take time,” Nick Fury said to the Avengers that did show up at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base. 

“How long,” Wanda asked. 

Fury turned towards the Scarlet Witch. “He didn’t say.”

The room was silent for a moment until Clint cleared his throat. “Bruce has been working on replicating the energy signals to make the shards believable.”

“And where is Stark in all of this,” Bucky asked, aggravation clear in his voice. “I thought he was supposed to be helping.”

“We do not need him. I will take this enemy down with one swing from my mighty Stormbreaker,” Thor had pounded the weapon against the floor for emphasis.

“I contacted Scott Lang and he said that he is willing to help. He just has to tell his family,” Clint said, ignoring Thor’s comment completely. 

“Well, until that time, we need to come up with a plan to keep everyone safe from this alien,” Sam said, looking around the room. “We have no way of knowing when they will show up.”

“Actually, we do,” Maria Hill spoke up. “We will be alerted when the alien makes an appearance based on the energy readings given off.”

All of the sudden, a piercing alarm sounded throughout the base and Bucky raised an eyebrow. “Does the alert sound like that?”

The Avengers immediately got to their feet, ready to leave at a moment’s notice, as Fury ordered Maria to track down where the energy signals were coming from. She glanced at the screen before saying, “It looks like the signal is coming from 15th Street. Queens.”

Bucky scrunched his brow in confusion. “What’s there?”  
____________________  
Peter stared with wide eyes at the female alien that was walking towards him in his living room. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do. He quickly scanned the room for anything he could use as a weapon since both his suits were still in his bedroom, which was currently being blocked by an alien with skin that looked like the night sky and eyes that looked like oblivion. 

“W-Who are you,” he asked, attempting a false sense of confidence, but miserably failing at it.

The woman smirked and her eyes traveled down his frame, a slow, leisurely drag that promised nothing but pain and misery to all those who happened under it. Peter shuddered visibly and tried his best to stand his ground, despite him being hopelessly outmatched. 

“Me?” Her voice was cold and detached. “I’m a friend, Peter.”

He seriously doubted that, if the way she circled him like he was her next meal was anything to go by. “W-What are you doing here?” 

She stopped her pacing at the question and sat back on the worn couch, draping her arms across the back and crossing her legs, assuming an air of nonchalance, but Peter knew not to be fooled. When she gestured towards the spot beside her, a silent request for him to sit, he stayed right where he was, not wanting to be anywhere near her. She shrugged her shoulders, uncaring of his refusal. 

“What are y-you doing h-here,” he repeated, when she did not answer him the first time.

She smiled coldly. “You see, Peter, I once had a powerful master. He was my mentor in every sense of the word and trained me for many years. I owe him my life, but he was killed unjustly not so long ago. Now, I will never be able to repay that debt.”

Peter faltered in his defensive stance, confused. What was she talking about? What did any of this have to do with him?

Sensing his bewildered state, she said, “I believe you might have met my master. He caused half of all life in the universe to die? Commanded the most powerful military might in existence? The only being ever to have used the power of the Infinity Stones and survive?” She paused a moment in her recollection. “Well, not anymore.”

Peter’s heart had begun to pound erratically as the female talked, his anxiety growing by the second. The pieces of the puzzle had begun to fall into place and it was not depicting a pretty picture. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. How would they survive this? 

“T-Thanos was y-your… m-master,” the sentence strained and choked, as though the forming of the words physically hurt him to speak. 

“Very good,” she praised, as though Peter were a dog who had just fetched his owner the stick. “You’ve heard of him.”

“B-But what about G-Gamora and Nebula?” He vaguely remembered the names of the two alien sisters who were supposedly the daughters of Thanos, before they betrayed him and helped fight in the battle against him.

She waved her hand dismissively. “Do not compare me to those traitors. They are a disgrace to my master and I will surely dispose of them before they can tarnish his reputation further. They were nothing but his servants who followed his bidding blindly. I am his true successor.”

Peter nodded his head rapidly, unsure of what else he could really do. This was the successor to Thanos standing in his living room. The very being that that titan had taught and trained for who knew how long. He was hopelessly out of his depth. And she knew it, too.

“Well, as you may guess, I was not entirely pleased when I discovered that my master had been defeated by a mere human, a pathetic life form that has no right to even exist.”

“B-But Mr. Stark had to stop T-Thanos. He was going to d-destroy the universe.” The words had slipped out of his mouth before he could even think, and as soon as they escaped, he wished he could shove them back inside. Terror washed over him when he realized his horrible mistake. He had revealed the name of the man who had killed this woman’s master: Mr. Stark.

Sensing his obvious horror, she waved a dismissive hand. “Do not worry. I am well aware of the pathetic earthling who killed my master. I have no interest in seeking vengeance.” She paused a moment, placing a sharpened claw on her chin, as though deep in thought. “At least not yet.”

Peter’s throat constricted. He couldn’t breathe. “T-Then what… w-what do you w-want?”

She glanced at him and flashed a smile, false sympathy in her expression. “All I want from you right now, Peter, is to deliver a message for me. Do you think you can do that?”

He nodded his head vigorously.

Noting his compliance, her smile broke away to reveal a snarl, filled with loathing and disgust. “Tell your master, Tony Stark, that he needn’t worry about protecting this pathetic planet he calls home for much longer. Unlike my mentor, I have no mercy. I will destroy the entire universe and rule upon the ashes of every man, woman, and child, starting with the one he loves most. There will be no place left to hide.” 

Peter was trembling. His entire body was quaking by the cold cruelty of her voice and the gruesome violence of her words. He had no idea what to even say to something like that. She was planning on a _universal extinction_. How could that even be possible? The stones were gone. 

He was frozen in place as she stood up from his couch and approached him. His eyes were assuredly wide and unblinking when she stopped in front of him, barely a foot away from his motionless form. She smiled, acting as if she didn’t just declare she was going to bring about a mass genocide. 

Peter flinched and closed his eyes, bracing himself for agonizing pain when her hand reached out to him. His joints seized when he felt her sharp claws gently scraped against his scalp, her fingers carding through his hair. “I believe it is time for me to leave, but I suspect we’ll be seeing each other again soon. Goodbye, Peter.”

A faint wisp of air blew past him. No longer sensing her presence, he hesitantly opened his eyes and glanced around the room. She was gone, but he still felt the ghost of her claws against his skin. Peter did not have any time to recover from this terrifying experience because suddenly, the door to his apartment was being blown off its hinges and he had to jump aside before his head was removed from his shoulders. 

His eyebrows lifted in surprise and his mouth gaped open when he saw the Avengers storm into his small living room, weapons raised and ready for battle. They all glanced around his apartment until their eyes fell on his trembling frame. Thor was the first to speak as he lowered Stormbreaker, apparently sensing no immediate threat. “Young Peter Parker. We were informed that a dangerous alien was at this location. Did you see anyone suspicious?”

Peter took a moment to form a cohesive thought in his mind. It had been a few weeks since he had seen the team and he had forgotten how overwhelming their presence could be. “U-Um…she was h-here. In my h-house.”

“Are you alright,” Wanda asked, her concern for Peter apparent. 

He nodded.

“What did she say to you?” Peter looked to the Winter Soldier, opening his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Sam saying, “Not here. We’ll take him to the base.”

Peter stared at them curiously as he was dragged out of his apartment. “Wait,” he said, effectively stopping the group. “W-What about Aunt May?”

Clint answered. “Don’t worry. We’ll assign a protection detail on her.” 

Peter felt he could at least breathe a little easier knowing that his aunt would have some security ensuring her safety. Although, he wasn’t sure how effective the security would be against an alien who trained under Thanos and was threatening to destroy the entire universe.   
____________________  
Peter found himself inside a large facility, surrounded by men and women scurrying back and forth, not paying any attention to him or the heroes and legends by his side. “W-Where are we,” he asked no one in particular. 

“S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters,” Clint told him offhandedly. 

“And you will not tell anyone about this place.”

Peter turned his head to follow the voice and found that the owner of it was a man with dark skin, dressed entirely in black from head to toe, and wearing an eye patch of all things, giving Peter the distinct impression of a modern day pirate. The man’s one good eye was staring directly at him and Peter had the urge to look away. He felt as though all of his secrets and innermost thoughts were being read with that single glance.

“I-I won’t tell anyone, sir.” The man approached him, his boots pounding against the floor and Peter resisted the urge to flinch from the sound, his senses on overdrive since his previous encounter.

The man stopped in front of him, his presence entirely overwhelming. “My name is Nick Fury. I’m the director of this whole operation.”

Peter’s eyes widened. He had known about the existence of S.H.I.E.L.D. and that the director of the organization was named Nick Fury, he had just never seen the man in person. “I-It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Fury, s-sir.”

The director didn’t seem to be one to engage in pleasantries. He just gave Peter another hard stare before saying, “Follow me.”

Peter had no choice but to obey, the others right behind him. They were led into a corridor that had several different doors leading where, he had no idea. They stopped in front of one of them and Peter watched in fascination as Mr. Fury held his thumb up to a scanner. After a second, Peter heard a soft click and the doors opened. 

He stepped inside and glanced around the room. A long table took up most of the space and a woman was already sitting in one of the chairs. She stood up upon seeing him and gave Peter a pleasant smile, extending her hand towards him. Peter shook it hesitantly. “Hello, Mr. Parker. My name is Maria Hill. It’s nice to meet you.”

He smiled. “N-Nice to meet you, too.”

The Avengers stepped inside behind him and took their seats at the table. Peter followed their example, unsure of what he was doing. He glanced around at the faces in the room, frowning. “U-Um…where is Mr. Stark?”

Bucky scoffed, but Mr. Fury was the one to speak up. “That is an excellent question. Maybe you could tell us why Stark’s missing.”

Peter looked down at his hands resting in his lap, feeling the crushing waves of disappointment wash over him. Mr. Stark wasn’t here. He didn’t care enough to come and see if he was alright. Peter had just been confronted by one of the most dangerous beings in the universe and Mr. Stark didn’t even know. He didn’t care. 

Peter then had a horrifying thought. Maybe Mr. Stark heard what he did last night. Maybe he was disgusted that Peter dreamt about him. Maybe he no longer wanted anything to do with him. 

His throat constricted. Peter felt the prick of tears in his eyes, which he quickly put a stop to before they flowed down his cheeks. The last thing he needed right now was to cry in front of the Avengers because his mentor didn’t care about him anymore. 

He shrugged his shoulders, not trusting himself to be able to speak without any emotion clogging his throat. Wanda looked at him, pity and concern in her features. “Can you tell us what happened, Peter?”

He looked towards the Scarlet Witch and she smiled at him reassuringly. Peter hadn’t known her for very long, but he had formed a bond with her. He knew that Wanda’s brother, Pietro, died in the battle in Sokovia, and he knew that he could never replace the brother she had lost, but Peter liked to think that he and Wanda had grown to become close friends. She always showed him kindness and concern that he had come to rely on at times such as these. 

He returned a shaky smile and sighed, trying to ignore all of the eyes upon him in the room. “She was in my house when I got there. I don’t know her name and I don’t know where she came from.” He paused and held his breath as he said, “But she told me that T-Thanos was her master.”

Everyone shared a nervous glance around the room before Sam asked, “What does she want?”

Peter fidgeted in his seat. He gulped before whispering, “E-Extinction.” There was complete silence as he continued. “She wants to finish what he started, and this time… it won’t just be half of the universe.”

Clint dragged a hand down his face, exhausted. “Was there anything else she told you?”

Peter nodded hesitantly. He looked up to Mr. Fury who had remained quiet since they had entered the room. “C-Can you try contacting Mr. Stark again?”

The director raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. “I,” he started, unsure of how to say what he had to. “I have a message for him.”  
____________________  
“Tony.”

He closed his eyes tighter. Maybe if he pretended that he was still asleep, he wouldn’t be bothered. 

“Tony.”

Nope. It didn’t work. But he still refused to move, even when he felt a hand pushing his shoulder, urging him to get up. He had no desire to open his eyes and face what he had done. Besides, his head was still pounding and he’d be damned if he tried to move from his position on the bed. 

“ _Tony_. We have to go. _Now_.”

If his eyes weren’t already closed, he would have rolled them. Surely whatever they had to do could wait a few more minutes. 

“Come on, man. It’s Peter.”

He shot his eyes open, immediately sliding out of the bed quickly to find his shoes. He heard Rhodey behind him mumble, “I should have started with that.” 

He ignored the comment and instead called out, “FRIDAY, what’s going on?”

The familiar Irish voice spoke in the room. “Alien signature was found on 15th Street, Queens. S.H.I.E.L.D. already sent the Avengers to the site.” 

Tony’s heart stopped. He knew that street. He knew the apartment that sat on the block, with its faded brick and crumbling stairs. He knew who lived in that building with a loving aunt. And now there was a dangerous and deadly alien there, too. Tony glared at nothing in particular, trying his best to maintain the rage he was feeling. “Why didn’t Fury call me?”

“He did,” Rhodey said, crossing his arms over his chest, resisting the urge to strangle his friend, who was sometimes a complete idiot. He glanced down at his phone and saw the five missed messages from Fury.

“FRIDAY, why didn’t you wake me up,” Tony demanded.

“I tried for ten minutes, boss, before contacting Mr. Rhodes.” Her tone was soft and gentle, as though sensing his distress and guilt. He didn’t have anything to say and instead dragged a hand down his face. “The alien signature is gone,” FRIDAY informed him. “The Avengers are at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.” 

“Thanks, FRIDAY,” he said offhandedly as he walked swiftly out of the room, Rhodey right behind him. 

“I’ll let Happy know that-”

“No time,” Tony said. He didn’t want to have to wait for Happy to drive him through the congested streets of New York. He needed to get to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. _Now_. 

Without waiting or explaining to Rhodey, he tapped the nanoparticle housing unit on the center of his chest and felt the nanoparticles coat his entire body, encasing him in his suit. Rhodey jumped back in surprise. “Where the hell did that come from?”

“Nanotech,” he said quickly, as he allowed a few seconds for all of his systems to be linked. 

“Why doesn’t my suit have that?”

He ignored Rhodey and engaged his thrusters, feeling himself lift off of the ground. He flew out of the open doors that led to his balcony and into the sky. 

He always enjoyed flying. It was freedom from his stifling world and it always cleared his head. But not today. He was cursing himself for drinking at a cheap bar all night and getting completely drunk and ignoring Fury’s calls. All because he couldn’t handle how tempting the kid looked to him last night. And now, Peter was in danger and it was all his fault. 

He urged the thrusters onwards and felt the propulsion through the sky. He arrived at the facility not two minutes later, landing quickly and tapping his chest to allow the nanoparticles to crawl back into the housing unit. 

Tony raced down the corridors, ignoring the open stares he got. As a handsome billionaire and a beloved hero, he was used to receiving attention and admiration everywhere he went. But he didn’t need the attention and admiration from the whole world, just one person. And he had let him down.

He barged into the room where the team had held the meeting last time they were at the facility. Heads turned to him when he entered, but he was only interested in the one person that wasn’t looking at him. _Please_ , he silently pleaded. _Look at me_.

“Stark. How nice of you to finally join us,” Fury said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. 

Tony ignored the comment, instead slowly making his way to the seat opposite of Peter. His footsteps were the only noise in the otherwise silent room. 

He cleared his throat, hoping to ease the growing tension he felt pressing down on him, making it difficult to breathe. “Are… Are you all right?”

Peter didn’t lift his head, in fact, he might have lowered it even more when he slumped further into his seat, as though trying to disappear entirely. But Tony wasn’t letting the kid out of his sight again. He couldn’t. He held his breath when Peter said quietly, “...Y-Yes, sir.”

Tony frowned. He knew that Peter was lying, just like he knew that there was something else bothering him aside from being approached by a genocidal alien. He didn’t dare ask now in front of the others. He didn’t want to embarrass the kid. 

Turning away from Peter, he said, “What happened?”

Everyone refused to answer, even the Winter Soldier, who usually had no hesitation in being the bearer of bad news when it came to Tony. As time passed, a sick feeling began to grow in the pit of his stomach. _This can’t be good_ , he thought to himself. 

Fury was the first one to speak up. “It seems that you made an enemy when you turned Thanos and his army to dust. Now his successor wants to do the same thing, just on a universal scale.”

Tony didn’t even bat an eyelash, entirely unsurprised by the news. He had assumed that when an unknown alien with the same energy signatures as Thanos began to poke around, looking for the remains of the Infinity Stones, it wouldn’t be good. What he really wanted to know was, “Why did they go after Peter? He has nothing to do with this.”

Fury shrugged his shoulders. “She probably assumed that he would be the easiest way to get to you. She wanted Peter to deliver a message.”

Tony looked towards Peter who still sat quietly with his head down and his hands fidgeting in his lap. Tony wanted nothing more than to take him far away from all of this. Peter was still just a kid who deserved a chance at a normal life. Because of him, Peter was in danger yet again and Tony didn’t know if he would be able to stop it this time. Maybe instead of being gone for five years, Peter would never come back. That thought scared him more than anything.

“Kid?” Peter looked up hesitantly at the sound of Tony’s voice, his eyes filled with an emotion Tony couldn’t name. “What did she say to you?”

Tony tried his best to look reassuring and it seemed to be enough for Peter to calm down and speak. “M-Mr. Stark, I… think you n-need to call Pepper. She’s in d-danger.”

His brow scrunched in confusion. “Why is she in danger?”

“B-Because, _she_ told me that she would k-kill everyone in the universe… starting with the one you love most.” 

Tony had a bad feeling about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! So we finally got some questions answered and we also got to see who the new mystery alien is! Tony sure has his work cut out for him... Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed that chapter as much as I loved writing it! The next chapter will out be out soon! Until next time!


	7. Guilt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I am sooo excited to share this next chapter with you all! It is one filled to the brim with drama and sexual tension!! Fair warning: there is a little bit more heavy language in this chapter than the others! You have been WARNED! AND, there is some sexual content between Peter and Tony, nothing too heavy, but it is my first time writing anything like it, so please go easy on me! Fingers crossed that you guys like the scene! With that being said, I hope you enjoy and please do not hesitate to leave me comments/kudos/bookmarks! I absolutely love them!

“Come on, Pepper. Pick up.” 

He paced anxiously around the main entrance of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Pepper was not answering his calls and with each passing second, another image appeared in his mind of his wife and daughter being slaughtered by a genocidal maniac. 

He just needed her to answer his damn calls.

When he received the voice mail message yet again, he shoved his phone in his pocket and scrubbed a frustrated hand down his face. 

This weekend was not going as he originally planned. All he wanted was to spend a few days with Peter, show him some new tech he’d been working on, maybe make some modifications to their suits, and then send him home happy and healthy. Instead, an alien appeared in Peter’s home, threatened the entire universe, including his wife and child, and he had no idea how he was supposed to handle this.

He heard approaching footsteps and saw Rhodey running through the doors, breathing heavily. “Tony, what the hell is going on? You ditched me. I had to take a cab to get here. Now I’m getting all these calls from Fury saying that the alien we’ve been trying to track down appeared in Peter’s apartment? Please tell me what is going on.”

Tony sighed, exhausted and overwhelmed. “The alien wants universal extinction and she’s starting withPepper and Morgan,” he stated. “Apparently, she’s got something against me just because I turned her master to dust.” 

Rhodey’s eyes widened comedically. “What? Have you gotten in touch with Pepper? Tell her what’s happening?”

“Of course. That’s what I’m trying to do now,” he gritted his teeth in frustration. “But she won’t answer my damn calls.”

All of the sudden, his phone began to ring and he looked down, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Pepper was calling him. He answered it without hesitation, but he didn’t have a chance to even speak because Pepper didn’t give him one.

“What the hell, Tony? I’m right in the middle of a meeting. What do you want?”

Yeah, she was definitely still mad at him. “Look, Pep. I know that you’re pissed at me, but please just listen.”

She must have sensed the urgency in his voice, because she remained quiet and he took that as a sign to continue. “You and Morgan need to get to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters right now. I have assigned a protection detail for the both of you.”

“Tony, what? I can’t just-”

“Pep, please. I promise I’ll explain everything once you get here. Just please trust me on this one,” he urged. Pleaded.

The other end of the line was silent and for a moment, he thought that she had hung up on him, but he heard her say, “Fine. We’ll be there this afternoon.”

He sighed in relief.

“But as soon as we get there, you have got some serious explaining to do.”

Tony grimaced when the call ended. He was not looking forward to _that_ particular conversation. Rhodey stared at him sympathetically, patting him on the shoulder before going to join the others and Tony had no choice but to follow him back inside the room.

His eyes immediately landed on the kid, who was still remaining unusually quiet. Tony was used to his stumbling words that he found both amusing and endearing, but now there was only abnormal silence and occasional fidgeting. 

He paid no attention to the others, who were still arguing over what they should do now that the alien had made the first move. Tony assumed that they would still go forward with the plan, he just didn’t want Peter to hear any of it. 

Peter had just encountered possibly one of the most dangerous beings in the universe, more so than Thanos. And Tony wasn’t there to help. Instead, he was drinking himself into oblivion in an attempt to forget his immoral attraction to his mentee. But no matter how much alcohol he consumed, it would never be enough to erase the memories of Peter panting and twisting in his bedsheets, calling out Tony’s name. 

He shook his head. What the hell was wrong with him? He had to stop thinking about that. He shoved the memory deep down and approached Peter cautiously as one would approach a wounded animal. He knew that Peter knew that he was there, but Peter didn’t say anything to Tony’s dismay. He was used to Peter’s warm, if not stuttered greetings. He wanted them back, he just didn’t know how.

Tony carefully placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder, grateful when the kid lifted his head to look up at him. But that gratitude quickly turned to guilt when he saw the dejection in his eyes. Tony inwardly grimaced and cursed himself for being such an ass, leaving the kid alone this morning and not being there for Peter when he needed Tony most. 

“Come on, kid,” Tony said with an attempted smile. “Let’s go outside for a bit.”

Peter nodded slowly and Tony breathed a sigh of relief. At least Peter wasn’t completely ignoring him, not that Tony would blame if he wanted to. 

They walked outside and Tony kept his hand on Peter’s back, urging him forwards. Tony was glad that they were out of that room. The others were arguing about what the next steps would be to stop the alien before she got any further. Tony didn’t want to risk Peter hearing something that he shouldn’t have. Like the existence of the Infinity shards or Tony being the one to use them. Peter needed to stay as far away from this as possible. Tony was damned if he let the kid turn to dust in his arms again. 

Tony led them into a random room off the main corridor where there weren’t as many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents running about. He closed the doors behind them so they wouldn’t be disturbed. 

“W-What… what did you want to t-talk about, Mr. Stark,” Peter asked him, shoe scuffing against the floor. 

He glanced down at the kid and sighed, scrubbing his hand over his face. God, he was so exhausted. He didn’t sleep at all last night, what with him getting off in the shower then escaping to a cheap bar to drink away the guilt. “Did I screw this up?”

“H-Huh?” Peter’s eyes widened innocently and Tony would have laughed in any other situation but this. 

“Did I screw this up,” he repeated. Tony gestured between them as though that would explain everything. “You and me. Did I ruin this?”

Peter bit into his bottom lip uncertainly and Tony had to forcibly remove his eyes away from that small action. What the hell was this kid doing to him? 

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Look, I fucked up. I left you this morning. I know I shouldn’t have, but I did. Then, you were threatened by a genocidal alien and I wasn’t there. I wasn’t there for you when you needed me.” He glanced towards Peter, his eyes pleading for him to understand. “But I’m here now. I’m not leaving again.”

Peter glanced around nervously before saying softly, “I know.” 

Tony was relieved that Peter seemed to accept his poor excuse for an apology, but he could tell that there was something else on his mind that was still bothering him. 

“What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing.”

Tony inwardly rolled his eyes. He wasn’t buying Peter’s lie for a second. “What is it?”

He waited patiently until Peter worked up the courage to ask, “W-Why did you leave this morning, M-Mr. Stark? I… I thought we would spend the entire w-weekend together…” Peter bit his lip. “W-Was it something I did?”

“No, of course not.” _Yes._ “You were great.” _More like perfect._ “I just had an unexpected business meeting I couldn’t miss.” _With a bottle of liquor._

Every word that was coming out of his mouth was a complete and absolute lie. But there was no way he could tell the truth, why he really left his house in the late hours of the night. Peter would probably think he was a sick and perverted old man and wouldn’t want anything to do with Tony anymore. He couldn’t have that. 

Peter nodded, seeming to believe him completely. Tony huffed a laugh as he could practically see the gears turning inside of Peter’s head. “What are we going to do now? A-About her?” 

Tony raised his eyebrow. “ _We_ are not going to do anything. I will take care of this.”

“B-But, I want to help,” Peter protested. “I can-”

“No. You are not going anywhere near this.”

“Why not?”

“Because I said so.”

“That’s not a reason.”

“Yes, it is.”

“It’s not a good one.”

“Peter,” Tony reprimanded. His tone of voice was a warning, one that, of course, Peter would not heed.

“Mr. Stark, I can help. You know I can. Why won’t you let me?” His eyes were innocent and wide and pleading and Tony couldn’t help but yield to them. 

“Because,” he hesitated, unsure if he really wanted to say this, but his inside voice told him to fuck it. Damn the consequences. “Because I can’t lose you again.” The words poured out of his lips before he had an opportunity to rethink them. But now he had opened the floodgates and there was no stopping it. “You died in my arms, kid. I had to watch you turn into dust. I had to wait _five years_ to get you back. Don’t ask me to go through that again. I can’t.”

Tony was surprised at the scratchiness in his throat when he finished speaking. He didn’t realize how much that would affect him. The room was silent as they both took the time needed to process Tony’s words. He didn’t really want to say all of that. It wasn’t his plan, but when Peter kept pressuring him for an explanation, everything he had been avoiding, burst out of him uncontrollably. 

Tony, for once, wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t know how to go from there. But apparently Peter did. 

The kid was suddenly throwing his arms around Tony’s neck and pressing his body against him.   
____________________  
This was probably one of the best moments in Peter’s existence.

When he lurched forward and threw his arms around Mr. Stark, the man was stiff and did not move at all. Peter worried that maybe he had misjudged the mood. Maybe Mr. Stark didn’t want to be hugged by him. But when Peter felt arms encase his body, pulling him closer, he smiled into Mr. Stark’s chest. 

Peter tried to commit all of the sensations to memory. The muscular and powerful arms that promised security, wrapping around him tightly. The rough and coarse hands that showed the years of hard work as they ran the span of his back. And most importantly, the steady and prominent heartbeat that pounded against his ear, full of certainty. 

Mr. Stark was all of these things and it made Peter’s breath hitch in his throat. He had never felt more safe and secure and warm than in that moment, wrapped in Mr. Stark’s embrace. 

When Peter burrowed his head into Mr. Stark’s neck, he caught whiff of the most intoxicating aroma. He wondered how he had never noticed it before. Leather and citrus. It was a heady scent that overpowered his heightened senses and made his mind go blank, as though flipping a switch. The aroma flooded his system as he inhaled deeply once more. He was completely encompassed by Mr. Stark and he loved every second of it. 

So absorbed in the sensations that encompassed the action of being held by Tony Stark, Peter hadn’t realized that Mr. Stark’s hand had begun to move upwards, coming to rest against Peter’s head. Only when Mr. Stark’s fingers began to slide through his hair did Peter notice. And then he immediately froze. 

Mr. Stark’s nails scratched lightly against his skin, eliciting shivers all throughout Peter’s body that had absolutely nothing to do with the climate of the room. And when Mr. Stark’s fingers tugged gently on a lock of his hair, Peter did something he would forever be embarrassed about.

Peter whimpered. _Audibly_. 

He bit down on his lip to stop any other humiliating sounds from escaping his mouth. But the damage was done. His face was flooded with heat. Peter didn’t need to look down to know that he was aroused, if the tightening within his pants was any indication. Peter prayed to whatever god was out there that Mr. Stark wouldn’t notice, but he knew it would be futile. Peter was pressed tightly against the man and there was no way that Mr. Stark _couldn’t_ feel Peter’s arousal on his thigh. 

Peter remained completely still, hoping that with time, he would be able to calm down. But then Mr. Stark shifted and his plan was shot to hell. The friction with that small movement only excited him even more and he buried his head into Mr. Stark’s chest as though he could hide from his own humiliation. 

He felt as Mr. Stark inhaled deeply, his heart pounding strong and firm. “...Are you all right?” His voice was gruff, as though he hadn’t spoken in days rather than only a few minutes. 

Peter nodded against his chest. “I-It’s…” He had to tell him or this will keep happening. “It’s the h-hair thing.”

“This?” Mr. Stark tugged on another strand and Peter almost cried out right then. “You like this?” 

Peter’s entire body was shaking and he thought his legs were about to give out, but Mr. Stark was holding onto him tightly and he wasn’t going anywhere. “Y-Yes, sir. I… I-I like it. I-”

Mr. Stark only tugged on his hair harder, not enough to elicit pain, but enough so that Peter had shudders running down his entire spine from pleasure. The kind of indescribable pleasure that made Peter’s toes curl inside his worn shoes. 

This was not doing anything to help the imminent situation in his boxers, which had begun to grow embarrassingly wet. It was all he could do to stop himself from thrusting into Mr. Stark’s thigh to get the delicious fiction the lower half of his body craved. He was so close to something, something he had wanted for longer than he cared to admit, but couldn’t hope to put a name to. He just needed a little bit more to reach it.

“Fuck, Peter. I promise I’ll stop. I… I shouldn’t be doing this.” 

Peter shook his head vigorously. That was the last thing he wanted or needed. He was _so close._

“N-No. P-Please, sir. I-I need… p-please…”

“ _Fuck_.” Mr. Stark’s grip on him tightened ever so slightly and Peter knew then that Mr. Stark was going to give him what he needed. 

But just before he or Mr. Stark could do anything, they both heard passing footsteps in the corridor. Although quiet, the sound was a loud reminder to both of them that they were in a meeting room in S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. 

Mr. Stark looked down at Peter’s aroused and flustered state and immediately let go of him, as though he had been burned. No longer feeling Mr. Stark’s warmth or the pressure of his body, Peter wanted to cry out in sheer frustration. He hadn’t gotten what he needed and the discomfort in his boxers was bordering the lines of pain. He just needed a little bit more.

“Peter, I…” Mr. Stark’s brow furrowed in concentration and he shook his head. “I shouldn’t have done that. I knew about your heightened senses and I-Are you all right?” 

Peter, despite his aroused state, was slightly angered by Mr. Stark’s words. Did he not remember that Peter was the one who begged _him_ not to stop? Why was Mr. Stark placing the blame on himself? 

“No. I-I mean, yes, I’m fine. B-But it’s not your fault. I was the one who-”

“But I should have put a stop to it before anything could happen,” Tony said with conviction.

Peter was about to open his mouth to protest, but just then, the door burst open and Rhodey entered the room panting and exasperated. “Tony. I’ve been looking all over for you. What are you doing in here? Come on. Fury wants you back.”

Rhodey was out the door before Mr. Stark could say anything and the two glanced at each other, uncertain how to proceed from there. Peter was a whimpering and disheveled mess, while Mr. Stark was consumed with a heady combination of both guilt and lust. 

Mr. Stark shifted hesitantly between the door and Peter, uncertain of what he should do. “...I have to get going. You should probably call your aunt. Let her know what’s happened.” Peter could practically see the debate inside his head before Mr. Stark asked, “Will you be alright? Tonight? I know that you have trouble sleeping and with this alien out there…you can stay with me. At the penthouse. May, too.”

Peter felt a familiar heat on his cheeks and despite the pulsing discomfort within his pants, he found himself flash a small, quick smile. “T-Thanks, Mr. Stark. But I’ll be fine.”

Mr. Stark’s expression was filled with concern and it made Peter’s heart flutter slightly. “All right, but I’m activating the Baby Monitor protocol.”

Sensing that Peter was about to object, Mr. Stark spoke up. “It’s just for the next couple of weeks. KAREN will contact me in case of any emergency and I will be able to track your movements.”

“You don’t trust me?” Peter was trying very hard not to take offense to Mr. Stark turning on one of the most embarrassing and childish protocols in his suit. 

“Of course I do,” Mr. Stark said with no reserve. “It’s this genocidal alien targeting you that I don’t trust.”

Still sensing Peter’s reluctance, Mr. Stark said, “Please. For my own sanity.” Peter blinked in surprise at the gruffness in the man’s voice. He recalled what Mr. Stark had said to him earlier. _I can’t lose you again._ Peter couldn’t put Mr. Stark through that for a second time. He nodded and Mr. Stark sighed in relief.

The man glanced towards the door. “I need to get back. I’ll have Happy drive you home.”

Peter suddenly felt awkward. It was only a couple of minutes ago that he was practically begging Mr. Stark to come undone. He could still feel the evidence of his arousal from the stickiness in his boxers. How was he supposed to act around Mr. Stark now? Should they talk about it? Should they pretend that it never happened? But if he was being honest with himself, that was the last thing he wanted to do. Peter desperately wanted to ask Mr. Stark about where this left them, but he hadn’t the faintest idea on how to go about doing that. 

Mr. Stark seemed to answer his questions for him because he opened the door, stepping out into the corridor. He gave Peter an indiscernible look before saying, “Bye, kid.”

And with those parting words, Mr. Stark left Peter alone in the middle of a sparsely furnished room, completely at a loss of what to do now.   
____________________  
He was fucked. Totally and completely fucked. He already suspected that there were things wrong with him, but what just happened only confirmed that he was absolutely mad. 

How was he supposed to show his face to the kid ever again? The answer was simple: he couldn’t. He couldn’t possibly look Peter in the eyes after what he had just done. 

Granted, it wasn’t exactly illegal. Peter was physically past the age of consent in the state of New York, with the Snap taking five years, but that was irrelevant in this situation. Mentally, the kid was still just… a kid, and Tony cursed himself for giving into that dark, greedy voice inside his head that told him to touch Peter. Told him to take what he wanted. And he can honestly say that he had never wanted anything more in his entire life than in that moment when Peter was pleading, _begging_ , him to come, his fingers clutching Tony as if he were the last remaining life boat in a tumultuous sea. 

Tony could still recall the noises that escaped Peter’s lips. The moans and whimpers that now played on repeat inside his head without stopping. They caused blood to pool in lower places of his body, until all he could think about was Peter hard against his thigh as Tony slid his fingers through Peter’s soft curls. 

“Tony?”

He snapped to attention, glancing around the room at the others who were giving him confused expressions. Rhodey sat next to him, concern evident on his face. “Are you good?”

He gave the best, reassuring smile he could muster, nodding his head. “Yeah, fine. Why?”

Rhodey didn’t seem to believe him and honestly, Tony didn’t blame him. “Don’t worry,” his friend said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We”ll protect Morgan and Pepper. No one is getting near them.”

Tony nodded. He wondered how Rhodey would react if he found out what really was going on inside his head. “So,” Tony said, wanting to shift the attention away from him. “Are we still following through with the original plan?”

Fury spoke up. “Yes, Strange has informed us that he will be ready in two weeks.”

“What do we do until then,” Wanda asked.

“Stay alert,” Clint answered. “We don’t want this newcomer causing a panic. People are already worried about the next alien invasion, let’s not make it worse.”

“I’ll work with Bruce in the next few weeks,” Tony offered, needing any type of distraction to get his mind off of Peter. “See if we can create a believable energy source.”

“Weren’t you supposed to be doing that already,” Bucky grumbled. 

Everyone grew silent as eyes looked towards Tony and he suddenly felt claustrophobic. He had been completely consumed with Peter that he hadn’t even thought once about helping Bruce. Whenever Peter was around, Tony was blind to everything but him. 

His chest began to ache just thinking about Peter and he couldn’t seem to work his mouth properly to form coherent words. Rhodey placed a hand on his shoulder, distracting him from his inevitable spiraling. “Give him a break. He just recovered from saving the universe. Now his family is being threatened by a dangerous alien maniac and he’s worried about them.”

Bucky narrowed his eyes, irritation rolling off of him in waves. “How does that make him different from anyone else? Everyone has family that is being threatened. Everyone is worried,” He glared at Tony. “Either get your shit together and help us or go back to hiding in your penthouse with Peter.”

Tony stared at the Winter Soldier, shocked. The man had always been one of few words, but that was by far the most Tony had ever heard him speak. He opened his mouth to deny the accusations before closing it again. He couldn’t argue. Bucky was right. 

“So,” Clint said, trying to defuse the tension. “Would now be a good time to ask if I can get something to eat around here? I’m starving.”

Wanda sighed exasperatedly and shook her head, not at all amused with Clint’s attempt at humor, 

“I’ll contact you when Strange is done,” Fury said, ignoring Clint’s ill-advised comment about food. The others nodded their head in acknowledgement and stood, leaving the room. Rhodey was the last to stand, placing a reassuring hand on Tony’s shoulder before going as well, leaving him alone with Fury who watched him with an unsettling intensity.

Tony groaned and sunk his head into his hands, running his fingers through his hair. How did he manage to fuck things up so badly in such a short amount of time? What the hell was wrong with him? Fury watched as he reprimanded himself, revealing nothing in his gaze. “Do you know what you’re doing,” he asked.

Tony shook his head.

“Well, I suggest you figure it out. I can’t have you contemplating your life choices when this thing becomes a bloodbath-which it will.” Those words didn’t exactly comfort him. 

Tony nodded mindlessly and that must have been enough for Fury. The man left, his heavy footfalls echoing long after he disappeared down the corridor.

Now in silence, Tony never thought that he would say these words, but there was a first time for everything: Nick Fury was right. Tony needed to get his act together. He couldn’t be doubting himself. Not now. An entire universe was depending on him. Pepper and Morgan were depending on him. 

Peter was depending on him.

He still remembered the guilt that stole his breath and the fear that clutched his heart when he watched Peter die. He refused to let that happen again. He had to bury whatever the fuck was happening to him deep down inside like he did with all his other shameful secrets and focus on stopping this genocidal alien from destroying everyone he has ever loved. 

Having strengthened his resolve, Tony sat at the table and waited for Pepper to arrive so he could explain to her what was happening. It was not going to be pleasant. Of course he wasn’t going to tell her that Fury was having Tony use the Infinity shards as a last resort because Pepper would certainly kill him before the shards ever could. But he at least had to tell her about this new threat. And honestly, she might still kill him.

Tony was deciding what flowers he wanted at his funeral when he heard the brisk clicking of heels down the corridor. He grimaced. He would know those footsteps anywhere. Pepper was here. 

He turned his head to the door and watched his wife walk inside, Morgan clutching her hand. He smiled at his daughter. “Hey, little miss.” 

Morgan dropped Pepper’s hand and ran towards Tony, throwing herself at her father and wrapping her small arms around his neck. Tony kissed the top of her head, while simultaneously gauging the scale of Pepper’s fury. Right now, it looked like he might have to make a decision on those funeral arrangements. 

“Hey,” he looked down at his daughter, still grinning widely in his lap. “Why don’t you go find Happy and he can show you where the cafeteria is, huh? Get something to eat?”

At the mention of food, Morgan perked up and slid off Tony's lap. “Okay,” she said, nodding before racing out of the room, no doubt on the hunt for Happy. 

He watched her go before turning to Pepper who had her arms crossed, anger clear in her expression. “...Hey…” he started, trying to lighten the mood.

Pepper glared at him. “Tony. Tell me what is going on,” she commanded him. He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. 

“First, you _die_ saving the universe. Then, I find out that you’re actually alive, but when you come home, it’s like you’re not even there. Your mind is somewhere else. The next second, you're rushing off to Manhattan, leaving me _alone_ with Morgan. Now, you call me in the middle of my meeting with the shareholders of _your_ company, telling me to leave with Morgan immediately. What is going on?”

Tony didn't think it would be the right time to mention that technically, Pepper owned the company. “Um… I pissed off a genocidal alien who wants to kill all life in the universe, starting with you and Morgan.” He might as well be upfront with her, rip the band-aid and all that. As an afterthought, he added, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I didn’t want you to worry.”

Pepper stared blankly at him for a moment before laughing harshly. “Didn’t want us to worry? Are you kidding me? That’s your excuse?” She threw her hands up in the air, gesturing around wildly. “Tony, look around you. I’m already worried. Why the hell is an alien coming after us? What did you do?”

He taps his fingers on the table idly and shrugs, faking indifference. “I might have turned her master and his army to dust.” 

It took Pepper only a moment to understand what he was talking about. “Thanos? Her master was Thanos…? And now she’s coming after us.” 

Tony nodded, preferring to say nothing, thinking that it was probably best if he let Pepper come to terms with this herself. If he did speak, he would end up making things worse. He watched as Pepper collapsed into a chair, placing a hand against her forehead, before running it through her hair. “What are we going to do?”

“We have a plan,” Tony said. “We’re going to draw her out.”

Pepper raised an eyebrow. “ _We?_ You’re going with them?” 

Tony gave her a funny look. Was that even a question? Of course he was going with them. He was part of the Avengers. “Yeah, Pep. I have to stop her.”

“No, you don’t,” she said desperately. “Tony, you’re not a god. You don’t have superhuman strength and you’re not invincible. You’re only human. Let the others take care of this. Stay here with your family. We need you.” 

“The universe needs me, too.”

Pepper shook her head. “No, it doesn’t. The others can fight.”

“I have to do this, Pepper.” She could never understand that this was just a part of him. Iron Man was a part of him. He had put it on pause for five years out of respect for Pepper and Morgan. He wouldn’t another second more.

Pepper narrowed her eyes in anger. “You almost died. Morgan almost lost her father and I almost lost my husband. You’re telling me that you’re willing to risk that again? Just so you can play ‘Hero of the Universe’ again?”

Tony remained quiet. No matter what he did or said, Pepper would never be able to understand. 

At his silence, Pepper shook her head and stood. “I can’t do this anymore, Tony. I can’t understand why you’re risking everything for a war that you don’t have to fight.” Her eyes were lined with silver and he felt guilty, but his resolve remained strong. He wouldn’t walk away from this. He couldn’t. 

“I can’t stand by and watch you die.” She exhaled a shaky breath and looked at him, disdain and misery in her expression. “We’re done.”

Tony closed his eyes in resignation, listening as Pepper walked out the door. He listened as the clicking of her footsteps faded down the corridor. 

He listened as her footsteps did not return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... what did you guys think? Unfortunately, we must say goodbye to Pepper and Tony, but it had to happen if Peter was ever going to have a shot! Speaking of which, I hope you all enjoyed the moment between Peter and Tony in this chapter! Did anyone else love it besides me? Please let me know what you thought! I must have revised that scene five times! Anyway, I will try and get the next chapter up soon! Until next time!


	8. Struggling for Sanity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god! I am so so sorry to everyone who has been waiting patiently! I know it has been a while since my last update! I have been so busy studying for my AP exams, but now I’m finished! Yay! Now that that’s out of the way, I hope you all like this chapter! Please leave comments/kudos for me! I absolutely love them!

Tony didn’t chase after her. He didn’t grab her wrist and pull her into a hug. He didn’t go onto his knees and beg for her forgiveness. And the answer was simple. He didn’t want to. 

Instead, he let her walk away. Away from him. 

If it were five years ago, he would have dragged himself up from the chair and stumbled into the nearest bar he could find and spend the remaining day and the long hours of the night drowning himself in alcohol. He would have collapsed on his mattress in his penthouse with a bout of nausea and a raging migraine and allow himself to dip into an endless oblivion where he could momentarily forget everything that was wrong with his life. He would have woken up the next morning and done the same thing over and over in a vicious cycle until inevitably, Bruce or Rhodey came to convince him to stop and move on. 

That is what he would have done five years ago. But not now. 

Now, Tony got up from his chair and drove back to his penthouse, not bothering to say goodbye to the team. He forced himself to drink something that didn’t consist of alcohol. He forced himself to eat something that could at least be considered somewhat healthy. 

He walked down to his lab and began to work on recreating the energy signals. He shoved everything that was rattling around in his head to the very dusty and cobweb-filled corner of his brain

And he felt good.  
____________________  
“Tony… are you okay?”

He looked up from his workbench and turned towards Bruce, who was staring at him apprehensively.

Tony smiled at him and said, “I feel fine. Great, actually.”

Bruce furrowed his brows in concern. “I know. That’s what’s freaking me out.”

Tony chuckled before burrowing his head back down at his work table to finish welding. He had all of this energy that he didn’t know what to do with. He had never felt this… _alive_ and he wanted to make the most of it. 

He and Bruce still had a long way to go before they successfully finished creating a device that could replicate the energy signals given off from the Infinity Stones, but Tony was confident that they could get it done before Strange finished his wizard voodoo. 

“I heard about Pepper,” Bruce hedged. 

Tony remained quiet. 

“I thought you’d be…”

Setting down his equipment, Tony turned to face his friend with an eyebrow raised. “You thought I’d be what?”

Bruce shrugged. “Drunk? Depressed? Honestly, a little bit of both.”

Tony did not respond and instead, continued with his work, ignoring his friend completely. 

It had been several days since Pepper ended things with him. Tony wondered if he was a bad person for not feeling any guilt or regret. He thought that he should, but he just didn’t. He couldn’t bring himself to care that their relationship was bashed across the rocks. The only thing he felt was the pressure being lifted from his shoulders and he basked in the sensation of it. 

He had known for a while that this was coming. He could feel that they were slowly drifting apart; Pepper towards the company and him towards the Avengers. She only wanted to have a quiet, peaceful life with normal problems and he secretly craved the excitement and unexpected thrills that came with being Iron Man. Now that he got it back, he was never giving it up again. And that was why Pepper left. 

So for the next several days, he had thrown himself into his old life before he had a wife and daughter. If any stray thoughts of Morgan flew across his mind, like how he would explain to her that her parents were no longer together, he would simply shove them further into the shadows of his brain where they couldn’t ruin his mood. 

And if any stray thoughts of Peter flew across his mind, like how delicious he looked begging to come as he rutted against his thigh, Tony would completely stop his work, ignore questioning glances from Bruce, and silently trudge towards his shower, ordering FRIDAY to turn the water to the coldest temperature. 

And he would not come out for a very long time. 

Tony was trying very hard to pretend the incident with Peter never happened, even though he knew that that was an impossible feat. He would never be able to do that. The memory would haunt him for a very long time. But he still had to do _something_ , because the constant stream of images playing on repeat inside his head were distracting. All of them were of Peter in varying stages of undress and all of them were of Peter calling his name. Tony didn’t know how much longer he could endure the icy water. 

And if he took any more cold showers, Bruce might start thinking that there was something seriously wrong with him, more so than there already was. 

But the images only increased in frequency when Tony reluctantly came to realize that now that he and Pepper were over, there was essentially nothing holding him back from taking what he wanted. But then the very rational part of his mind said that there were many things holding Tony back. 

The age difference, for starters. He doubted that Peter would really be attracted to a man that was several decades older than him. There was also the fact that Tony was possessive, compulsive, and probably the worst possible thing for Peter. And then there was the most important reason that held Tony back from claiming what was his: Tony was a dead man walking. 

He had no idea if or when he would need to use the Infinity Stones and there was no way he was about to start something with Peter that he knew he couldn’t finish. 

But this entire conversation inside his head was pointless because Peter was infatuated with _Harry Osborn_. Just the name of that self-righteous playboy sent his blood boiling. Tony clenched his fists and grit his teeth. Peter deserved so much more than whatever that idiot could give him. But regardless, Peter still liked Harry Osborn and as much as it set his nerves on end, Tony didn’t want to influence Peter’s decision one way or the other, no matter how much he disagreed with it.

This was the reason that he stayed put at his work table, even though every fiber of his being was telling him to drive to that shabby brick apartment building and take what he wanted. He just had to remind himself that Peter was in love with someone else.

He sighed lightly. “I’m trying something different.”

Bruce glanced towards him, examining Tony carefully. 

Tony tried not to let it show on his face that he was fantasizing about having sex with his own mentee, but he was in unchartered waters and he wasn’t sure how to go about this situation. He held his breath when, after what felt like hours, Bruce turned back around and resumed running test simulations.

Tony released the breath quickly and shook his head to rid any remaining thoughts of Peter begging for him. And of course it didn’t work. He didn’t really expect it to.

_This is going to be a long day._  
____________________  
On the outside, she remained calm and collected, not wanting to make Morgan worry. But on the inside, she was a torrent of raging emotions. Anger, regret, despair. They were all there, swirling around until they formed a chaotic mess that clouded her mind and her judgment. 

How could she have been so stupid? How could she have let things go so far? She knew deep down that this would inevitably happen. She suspected it for a while now and she scolded herself for allowing it to go on for this long. Although she would never regret having a daughter-she loved Morgan more than anything in the world-she regretted having a daughter with _him_. 

When their car pulled into the dirt driveway, she got out quickly, tugging Morgan along with her who was smart enough not to question her mother’s obvious distress. Pepper threw the wooden door open and after settling Morgan down with a juice pop, she proceeded to then pull out everything that was Tony’s in their bedroom and shove the items in cardboard boxes, uncaring if clothes got wrinkled.

She had half a mind to throw everything into the lake outside of their house, just to watch the boxes sink to the sandy bottom with mild satisfaction, but she held back on that urge. Pepper suspected that if she started tossing Tony’s things into the lake, Morgan would notice. Pepper did not want to worry her daughter any more than she already was. So she grit her teeth and shoved another faded t-shirt into a box.

As the minutes passed, however, Pepper felt her anger change direction from Tony to herself. She was partially to blame for what was happening. She could have walked away from their relationship so many times. There were countless opportunities. But no matter what Tony did, no matter how furious she was, she kept going back to him. 

Even when Peter disappeared and Tony was drunk and unhinged for months, she went back to him. Instead of taking a step back like she should have when Tony returned home in the early hours of the morning with the smell of alcohol on his breath, they had a daughter. 

She wished that she had listened to the small voice inside her head saying that what they were doing was wrong. Pepper had known Tony was trying to fill the hole that Peter had left with Morgan. She had known that Tony still wanted to be Iron Man. She had known that Tony loved Peter, deeper than he had ever loved her. But she kept going back to him. All of this and she kept going back to him. 

As she threw a pair of jeans into the box, she became frustrated with herself. It was her fault, she realized, that their relationship was over. She was the one who pushed Tony away. Instead of accepting him for who he was, she made him choose between her and Iron Man. It was an impossible choice and Pepper felt guilty for giving it to him.

She had only ever wanted Tony to be happy. But glancing around their bedroom, with its scented candles and seascape pictures and soft area rug, she realized that none of this was what he wanted. This was the life that she had always wanted for herself and she forced it onto him. If only she had realized what she had been doing, maybe she could have prevented all of this from happening. 

Pepper let out a shaky breath and clasped her hand over her mouth to stop a sob from escaping past her lips. “It’s all my fault,” she whispered.  
____________________  
“May, please calm down. I’m okay.” He held his hands up placatingly. 

His aunt was pacing around their apartment, running her fingers through her frizzy, tangled locks. “Don’t you dare tell me to calm down,” she commanded, her eyes wild. “An evil alien shows up in our home and threatens you and now you want me to _calm down_?” Her voice was growing in pitch and volume as the words tumbled out of her mouth.

“I’m fine,” he said. “And Mr. Stark assigned a S.H.I.E.L.D. security detail to us. We’ll be safe.”

May let out a humorless laugh. “Is that supposed to make me feel better? You are always in danger when he is around you.”

“That’s not true,” Peter defended.

She raised an eyebrow at her nephew. “Isn’t it? This alien was only here because she wanted you to deliver a message to Mr. Stark.” Her expression hardened, exposing an emotion on her face that Peter had never seen before. He couldn’t put a name to it, but he officially decided that he hated that expression. “Because she knew that you were close.”

Peter didn’t know what to say. May was right. The alien was in their apartment because she knew that he had a connection to Mr. Stark. Peter couldn’t look May in the eyes and claim otherwise. And yet…he had to try to make her just _see_. 

“Stop blaming Mr. Stark.” May blinked in surprise at the severity of his voice. He had never talked like this to her before, but he couldn’t stop now. “ _I_ chose this life. _I_ wanted this. The only thing Mr. Stark has ever done is keep me safe.” He softened his tone, his eyes pleading with May to understand. “Please stop blaming him.”

His aunt was silent. She had never seen him act like this before, with such passion and strength. She had always known that he was capable of it, but she was used to seeing the shy little boy she and Ben had raised. Now that little boy was gone and replaced with a confident, young man who fought for what he believed. 

She heaved a sigh. “Alright, I’ll stop. But don’t expect me to like him.”

Peter nodded eagerly, thankful that his aunt was finally listening. “So, what now,” May asked. “This alien doesn’t seem to be leaving any time soon.”

Peter bit his lip. “I’m not sure. Mr. Stark doesn’t want me to help.”

“Well, it’s probably best to listen to him. It seems like he knows what he’s talking about.”

Peter cracked a smile. He could tell his aunt was glad that he was told to stay away from this, but Peter didn’t want to be placed off to the side like a little kid. He wanted to be helping the Avengers with this. After all, he was an Avenger now. Wasn’t he? “Come on,” May said. “I’ll make us something to eat.” 

He sighed. “Okay.”

Peter ended up eating lasagna with his aunt at their small dining room table, wishing that he was with Mr. Stark, helping the team. 

And this was what the next several days consisted of: sleeping in only to wake up and do nothing, eating alone in his apartment while May worked, and wishing desperately that Mr. Stark would text him.

He had no idea what his relationship with Mr. Stark was right now. The last time they were together, Peter was begging to come on Mr. Stark’s thigh. And he wanted to. So badly. It pained him to admit that every night since the incident, he had wet dreams, all of them involving Mr. Stark. 

He wasn’t sure that that was a typical relationship one would have with their mentor. Peter was humiliated to an embarrassing degree, but he still wanted to see Mr. Stark again. 

If only the man would text him. 

_Please_ , he said internally. Peter was lying in bed in the early hours of the morning after waking up from a particularly vivid dream involving Mr. Stark and whipped cream. He was not particularly proud of himself. But regardless, Peter stared at the dark screen of his phone. _Please_.

And his prayers were answered. His phone lit up with a new notification and he almost jumped in his seat from excitement, but he frowned when he saw that the message was from an unknown number.

_As your future roommate, I thought I should introduce myself_ , the text read. _My name is Harry Osborn. I was wondering if we could meet in person? I would like to get to know you a bit_.

Peter’s eyes widened. Harry Osborn? _The_ Harry Osborn wanted to meet him? Peter practically vibrated in his seat from excitement. Harry’s father was a legend as the CEO and president of Oscorp. His advancements in chemistry were leagues ahead of any other company in the world. And now Peter was texting with his son who would soon become his roommate.

Peter rapidly sent a message. _Yes. That would be great. I’m Peter Parker _.__

__The reply was almost instantaneous. _It’s nice to meet you Peter Parker_._ _

__He smiled to himself, giddy as he made plans with Harry Osborn, his troubles with Mr. Stark soon a forgotten memory.  
____________________  
They had decided to meet at a local café in Manhattan. Peter tried not to focus on the fact that they were only a few short blocks from Mr. Stark’s penthouse. Peter simply wanted one day without thinking about Mr. Stark. It was emotionally exhausting and he deserved a small break._ _

__Peter sat at a table by the window of the café, his leg bouncing nervously as he switched between glancing down at his phone and looking to the door every time the small bell jingled, announcing another customer just walked in._ _

__Peter was early. He wasn’t really expecting to see Harry for another twenty minutes. But when the bell rang again and Peter looked up instinctively, his eyes widened when he saw a young man step inside who, after immediately spotting Peter, began to walk towards him with a smooth, confident gait that had Peter gulping nervously._ _

__The young man stopped directly in front of Peter and held out a hand. “You must be Peter. I’m Harry Osborn. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” With wide eyes, Peter stared openly at the young man in front of him._ _

__He was dressed in clothes that looked to be designer brands. Expensive and stylish. Clothes that Peter himself would never hope to own. His hair was dark and swept back effortlessly. His eyes were an ice blue. His smile was charming. Peter came to the inescapable conclusion that Harry Osborn was handsome. Very handsome._ _

__Peter jerked his hand out to clasp the other’s, praying to god that his own was not sweaty. Or that he wasn’t squeezing too tightly. He didn’t want to accidentally break his roommate’s hand on their first meeting._ _

__“H-Hi. I-I’m Peter Parker.” He inwardly reprimanded himself, for stammering and for repeating what Harry had already stated, but the young man smiled politely and swept into his seat with a gracefulness that shouldn’t exist in this world._ _

__“I hope you will forgive me,” Harry started off, his voice silky and smooth. “I had my people do some digging into your background.”_ _

__At seeing Peter’s surprised expression, Harry held up his hands placatingly. “I meant no disrespect. As the future CEO to Oscorp Industries, I only wanted to ensure my safety. I hope you can understand.”_ _

__Peter hesitantly nodded and Harry seemed immediately relieved. “Well, I must say that I was rather impressed when I read what my team had gathered. You are an incredible individual, Peter.”_ _

__Peter’s heart began to pound rapidly as he tried to decipher what that could mean. Did Harry know about his secret identity? Did he know that Peter was Spiderman?_ _

__“U-Um… Impressed with w-what?”_ _

__Harry smiled. “You have quite the list of achievements. A graduate of Midtown School of Science and Technology; a member of the marching band, robotics club, and Academic Decathlon team; an impressive GPA; outstanding letters of recommendations from all of your teachers.” He paused, his smile widening. “You must be quite busy.”_ _

__Peter chuckled nervously. “Y-Yeah. Sometimes.”_ _

__“Do you know what you want for a profession?”_ _

__Peter looked up, startled. “H-Huh?”_ _

__“What are your plans for after college,” Harry asked, not unkindly._ _

__The question gave Peter pause because he honestly didn’t know. Ever since the incident that turned him into Spiderman, he had never really given much thought to what he wanted to do after college. His only thoughts were on trying to keep his city and everyone in it safe._ _

__And now that there was this new alien who seemed determined to destroy the entire universe, college and a job seemed trivial._ _

__Peter was an Avenger. That was everything he had ever wanted since he became Spiderman, and now he had it. Peter didn’t need to find a job, get married, and have a family. He didn’t want that-maybe when he was younger, when things were much simpler. But now, he didn’t need that because he already had a family. Aunt May, the Avengers, Mr. Stark. They were all his family and his job was to protect them._ _

__But Peter didn’t think he could really say any of that to Harry. “U-Um… I’m not really sure yet.”_ _

__Harry waved it off easily. “I’m sure you will figure it out. You are a very intelligent young man.”_ _

__Peter smiled hesitantly in acknowledgement. He wasn’t sure he liked the fact that Harry seemed to know everything about him before they even had a chance to meet. It was unsettling. “S-So,” he hedged. “Y-You are planning on being CEO of O-Oscorp?”_ _

__Harry nodded. “Yes. My father agreed that he would step down from his position once I am finished with my master’s at MIT. I look forward to running the company.”_ _

__“Y-You aren’t nervous,” Peter asked. He couldn’t imagine having that many eyes on him, all of those people relying on him. All expecting him to do incredible things. It was different when he was Spiderman. He could hide behind a mask. With Harry, there was nothing to hide behind. His face would be representing the entirety of Oscorp Industries. Peter did not envy him._ _

__“No,” Harry said, shaking his head. “Why should I be? I’m rather excited. Becoming CEO of Oscorp Industries is something I have been preparing for since I was a young child. There is nothing to be nervous about.”_ _

__“B-But… aren’t you worried what p-people will think of you?”_ _

__Harry waved the question off easily. “Of course not.”_ _

__Peter nodded along vaguely and Harry, sensing his confusion, smiled and said, “You have to have confidence in yourself, Peter. It does not matter what others think of you, only what you think of yourself.”_ _

__Peter bit his lip. The idea had been rattling around in his head for a while, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell anybody else about it. He was wondering if he should tell the world that he was Spiderman._ _

__Most of the Avengers didn’t hide their identities and Peter had begun to think that maybe he shouldn’t either._ _

__He had brought this up with Mr. Stark in the past, back before Thanos and the Snap, and Mr. Stark’s answer was a resounding ‘no’. The man didn’t want Peter to have all of that attention on him when he was still in high school. But now that Peter was older, he had begun to think that maybe he was ready for his secret identity to be revealed. And if a small voice inside his head said the the only reason he wanted to do this was to follow in Mr. Stark’s footsteps, Peter buried that voice deep down and ignored it._ _

___Maybe he could bring the idea up to Mr. Stark when he saw the man again. But the way things were right now, Peter didn’t anticipate that that would be anytime soon.  
____________________  
Tony lasted exactly three days, nine hours, twenty-four minutes, and eleven seconds before he caved and activated the tracker in Peter’s suit. _

__It was in the late hours of the night-or the early hours of the morning, depending on how one looked at it-before he couldn’t take the anxiety and worry any longer. Tony cursed himself as he walked into his bedroom and activated the tracker that was installed in Peter’s suit._ _

__For the past three days, he had been desperately trying to get Peter out of his head. He had thrown himself into his work, needing the distraction from the images that played on repeat inside his own traitorous mind. There was something seriously wrong with him._ _

__His marriage was basically dust in the wind and here he was, fantasizing about a kid _decades_ younger than him and no matter what he did, he couldn’t _stop_. Peter was his every waking thought and every delicious daydream. Every trembling hand and quivering breath. Everything._ _

__Absolutely. Everything._ _

__So, when he sat in bed for the fourth night since the incident and found sleep was impossible to come by and Peter was once again smiling and laughing inside his head, Tony did the one thing he told himself not to do. He got up and turned on the tracker, his heart pounding loudly in the silence of the room._ _

__He was tense, as if his entire body was made of stone until he saw the small blinking dot appear on the screen display. Only then could he finally breathe._ _

__The tracker was in the Iron Spider suit, so Tony had no idea if Peter was actually sleeping soundly in his own bed or if he was wandering around outside, but that small little dot on 15th Street, Queens calmed him, set his mind at ease. He could at least pretend that Peter was safe._ _

__Tony knew that if Peter was in any real danger, the S.H.I.E.L.D. unit would contact him immediately. Still, it was better for his already shaky mental state if he just checked the tracker occasionally. But ‘occasionally’ soon turned into ‘all the time’ as the hours passed and light soon filtered through his blind shades. And all the while, he was still looking at that small blinking dot._ _

__Tony sighed. Another night of no sleep, something he was very accustomed to at this point. He briefly wondered if Peter was experiencing similar problems. He didn’t know if the kid still had trouble sleeping, but he wouldn’t blame Peter if he did. Getting turned to dust probably felt as bad as it looked and Tony still had nightmares of Peter slipping through his fingers. He could only imagine what Peter dreamt about._ _

__He should have asked._ _

__Cursing unintelligibly, Tony dragged himself out of his comically large bed with incredibly soft satin sheets. He couldn’t count the amount of times in the past few days that he had imagined Peter sprawled out beneath him, calling his name, and only his name. It didn’t help that he knew the way Peter would look. Or the way he would _sound_._ _

__Tony didn’t need to look down to know the state of the lower half of his body. It was the same thing that had been happening every morning since the incident with Peter. Without reservation, he went to his bathroom to take a cold shower, something that had become somewhat of a daily thing. He had updated FRIDAY with the Hypothermia Protocol, something he wasn’t entirely proud of._ _

__Once he had taken care of his situation, he proceeded to the kitchen where he could make himself coffee, yet another daily routine. It was obvious he was going to need the caffeine if he wanted to survive another day consumed with thoughts of Peter. He had come to accept that._ _

__It was just when he had settled down and was about to force himself to work when he received a notice from one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents he had assigned to Peter. Tony almost dropped the mug that he was holding when he saw it flash on the screen._ _

__It only took him a moment to read._ _

__Without thinking, Tony raced to his bedroom and threw on clothes that made him look at least somewhat presentable. He didn’t bother letting Happy know that he was leaving the penthouse. He didn’t want to wait. He couldn’t. He had to leave and he had to leave _now_. _ _

__He was pulling onto the street in his Audi R8 only minutes later, swerving through traffic, all the while, his mind was racing. What would he do? What would he say? How could he possibly explain this?_ _

__Tony arrived at the small café in record timing, pulling the Audi into the first parking space he saw before hopping out of the car and searching frantically for any sign of wavy brown locks or an infectious smile._ _

__His eyes landed on a table by the window of the café where two young men sat, talking quietly. One was Peter. _His Peter_. He looked uncomfortable and nervous and Tony wanted nothing more than to pull the kid into his arms and make everything else disappear. _ _

__Tony’s eyes slid to the other that was sitting across from Peter. Harry Osborn. There was nothing Tony would like more than to smack the arrogance and self righteousness out of that idiot playboy._ _

__Tony narrowed his eyes before stalking inside, the jingling of the bell when he opened the door set his nerves on edge._ _

__The playboy didn’t see his approach, but Peter did._ _

__He saw Peter suck in a breath when their eyes locked and it was as though they were the only two people in the world, in the universe. Everything else faded away into nothingness because Peter was all Tony saw. The only thing he needed. And there was a playboy trying to take Peter away from him._ _

__Tony clenched his fists and grit his teeth. He stalked towards the table, stopping until he was looming over the playboy with what he hoped was a menacing expression. He was fighting every urge to punch playboy’s jaw when the idiot slowly turned around and raised a skeptical eyebrow at his sudden appearance._ _

__“Hello,” the playboy said, his arrogant tone making Tony’s blood boil. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting.”_ _

__Tony was about to punch the idiot. He wanted to so badly, but the only thing-and really, _the only thing_ -holding him back was hearing Peter’s voice. _ _

__“M-Mr. Stark? W-What are you doing here?”_ _

__Tony opened his mouth to speak, but for the first time in his entire life, he was speechless._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know that wasn’t exactly the most exciting chapter in the world, but didn’t you all love Tony’s SERIOUS jealousy?? I promise that the next one is going to be FILLED with more of that jealousy and drama and romance and serious Starker moments! I am so excited for it! I promise that you all won’t have to wait as long for the next chapter because I already have parts of it written! It will be posted within the next week, so hang in there! Anyways, please leave comments and kudos for me! Until next time!


	9. Deadly Deceit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, I am so sorry to all of those who have been kept waiting for this chapter! I had a lot more trouble than I usually do with writing this. There were so many different plots and outcomes that I was debating back and forth with! I finally chose this plot for the chapter! I really hope you guys like it! It was definitely a battle to finish for me, so please leave comments/kudos! Tell me what you think! As promised, there are some SERIOUS STARKER MOMENTS in this chapter! With that being said, enjoy!

“M-Mr. Stark,” Peter squeaked out. This was the very last person he expected to see. “W-What are you doing here?”

Peter stared expectantly at Mr. Stark, but the man seemed just as surprised as Peter was that he was standing there. 

The two of them locked gazes and Peter became lost in the warm, chocolate eyes of his mentor. There was anger in Mr. Stark’s expression, that much was obvious. But there was something else behind the fury… a soft vulnerability. Peter almost didn’t believe it. Was Mr. Stark… _jealous_?

Before Peter had the chance to analyze what the implications of that revelation could mean, a clearing of a throat broke their intense gaze and Peter turned to see Harry staring at him expectantly. “O-Oh,” Peter stammered, suddenly remembering where he was. “Harry, t-this is M-I mean… Tony Stark.” 

Peter felt his face warm. That was the first time he had said Mr. Stark’s name. Peter doesn’t count the time on that battlefield after Thanos was defeated. He had thought that Mr. Stark was going to die.

“Aw,” Harry said, leaning back into his chair. “So you are the famous Tony Stark.” He slowly dragged his eyes down the older man’s frame. “I must admit, you are not quite what I expected.”

Peter glanced down to see that Mr. Stark’s hands were clenched into fists and he suddenly felt the hair on his arm stand on end, meaning that his spidey senses were waking up, alerting him to incoming danger. With wide eyes, Peter glanced around the small café. 

There was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary-aside from Mr. Stark’s sudden appearance-that would indicate danger. All the customers were talking amicably in hushed tones, soft smiles on their faces. 

“I get that a lot.”

The low growl coming from Mr. Stark pulled Peter back into the conversation, if one could call it that. Peter was glancing back and forth between his new roommate and his old mentor. This strange encounter seemed more of a deathmatch with the eyes than an actual conversation. The tension was palpable and Peter struggled to understand what the problem was. 

When the air grew thick enough that it could be cut with a knife, Peter felt compelled to speak. “So… i-is there something y-you need from me, M-Mr. Stark?” 

As soon as the words flew past his lips unthinkingly, Peter inwardly cursed himself as he felt the heat rising to his cheeks. He really prayed that his question didn’t sound as suggestive as he thought it did. But Mr. Stark flashed a small, tense smile in his direction before returning to Harry and giving the young man another terrifying glare. 

“Actually,” Mr. Stark said, still looking directly at Harry, his tension morphing into a smug expression. “I do need you.”

Giving Harry one last scathing glance, Mr. Stark finally turned his attention to Peter. “It’s about the internship,” he said.

Peter immediately shot up from his chair, prepared for anything. Perhaps Mr. Stark was finally allowing him to help with the new alien threat. 

Peter began to gather his things to leave, but hesitated when he remembered that Harry was still sitting across from him, looking at him skeptically. “I-I have an… internship. With M-Mr. Stark,” Pever explained quickly. “I-I should go.”

Harry offered him a charming smile. “Let me know if you are interested in an internship with Oscorp Industries. It would not be difficult for me to get you a position working with my father.” 

Peter froze completely, his mouth hanging open in shock and awe. “C-Could you really do that?”

Harry waved his hand while saying with an air of confidence, “Of course. I _will_ be the CEO and President of Oscorp Industries in a few short years.”

“Y-Yes,” Peter said without hesitation, his smile widening. “T-That would be. I-I mean, if y-you could, I-”

“ _Peter_.”

He turned at the sound of his name and saw Mr. Stark staring at him expectantly, jaw clenched. 

Peter remembered himself. He remembered that Mr. Stark needed him. He turned to Harry, feeling entirely guilty for cutting their meeting short. “I-I’m sorry. I need to go.”

Harry nodded his head. “Of course, but I hope you will keep my offer in mind.” He then turned to Mr. Stark, who was standing silently with his fists tightened. Peter had the strangest urge to cover Mr. Stark’s hands with his own and ease the tension as their fingers intertwined, but he shook his head at the ridiculous notion. 

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Stark,” Harry said. “And if you ever find yourself wanting a different intern, please send Peter to Oscorp Industries. We would be happy to take him off your hands.”

Before Peter could step in and say that he wanted to stay where he was with Mr. Stark, he felt a heavy hand come down on his shoulder and grip him firmly. He turned in surprise to see Mr. Stark right behind him. Peter felt the heat radiating from the older man and the delicious pressure on his shoulder. Both sensations caused his entire body to tremble in anticipation of what, he didn’t know. 

“Sorry,” Mr. Stark growled, his low and menacing tone shocking Peter. “He’s not going anywhere.”

The words sent heat flooding into his cheeks and his heart pounding rapidly. 

Before Peter could say goodbye to Harry, he was being practically pushed out of the small café by Mr. Stark’s strong hand on his shoulder. Peter wanted to know what was going on. Did something happen with the alien? Was he finally going to be able to help? 

As much as Peter wanted to know the answers to these questions, he knew better than to ask on the sidewalks of Manhattan, completely surrounded by people all rushing to get to one place or another. He allowed himself to be led towards a car haphazardly parked on the side of the street he recognized instantly as Mr. Stark’s Audi R8. 

The two were silent as they both got into the ostentatious car. Once the doors were locked, Peter immediately turned in his comfortable leather seat to look at Mr. Stark who had yet to say a single word to him about what was happening. 

“M-Mr. Stark? What’s going on? Did that woman come back? Do you need my help?”

Mr. Stark remained unusually quiet and Peter waited several minutes until the older man suddenly let out a heavy sigh and ran his hands through his hair with visible frustration. 

“M-Mr. Stark? What’s wrong,” Peter asked. It had been a while since he had seen the man this agitated. It reminded Peter of their previous encounter and just the memory of it sent another wave of heat to his cheeks. 

With his hands dragging down his face, Mr. Stark mumbled, “What am I doing?”

Thanks to his oversensitive hearing, Peter heard the words perfectly clear and he scrunched his brow in confusion. What was he talking about? 

Before Peter even had the chance to ask, Mr. Stark suddenly said, “Why the fuck am I here, kid?”

Peter looked at the man with uncertainty. “I-I… was hoping you could tell me that, s-sir.” 

When the only response he received was another groan from Mr. Stark, Peter asked with real concern, “A-Are you alright, Mr. Stark?”

The man in question shook his head. “No,” he sighed. “No, I’m not.” His voice was haggard. Broken. Defeated.

Peter shot forward in his seat. “W-What’s wrong? Do you need my help?”

He held his breath as Mr. Stark chuckled harshly and removed his hands from his face, slowly looking towards Peter. He let out a ragged breath when their eyes collided and that’s when Peter felt it. 

He never felt this with anyone else, only with Mr. Stark. The most apt description he could conjure was an overwhelming sensation that consumed his entire body when Mr. Stark looked at him, or placed a hand on his shoulder, or simply smiled. It started at his toes that curled in the worn soles of his faded shoes and slowly travelled up, making his heart pound and his head spin until his entire being was filled with this emotion that he couldn’t put a name to. 

But as confused as his heart was, Peter knew what his body was telling him. Screaming for him to take the one thing he wanted desperately. And it was _so close_. 

The last time he was in a situation like this, Peter had listened to his body and ended up embarrassing himself. Mr. Stark had treated him as though he were a child. As though he were being taken advantage of. As though he wasn’t wanted. Peter didn’t need to go through that again. 

But… there was a split second when Peter had _sworn_ he could feel Mr. Stark give in. Where he could feel the man hold onto his smaller frame and bury his face into Peter’s neck. He couldn’t have imagined that.

And then, not five minutes ago, when Mr. Stark burst through the café doors and interrupted his conversation with Harry, Peter saw a glimpse of _jealousy_ in those warm, chocolate eyes. 

He felt a flicker of hope well up inside of him. Could Mr. Stark be feeling what he felt? Could Mr. Stark want what he wanted? Peter knew there was only one way to find out. One way to get everything he had ever wanted. Or one way to have his hopes and dreams shattered on the rocks. 

“Kid.” 

Mr. Stark’s gruff voice pulled Peter out of his internal debate to find that they were extremely close. Both of them leaning over the arm rest that separated their seats, their faces only inches away from each other. 

They were still sitting in a parking lot on the streets of Manhattan, people passing by Mr. Stark’s car, the tinted windows blocking any curious eyes from what was happening inside. But they might as well have been back in Mr. Stark’s apartment, curled up on his leather couch, watching Peter’s favorite movies. Just the two of them. Alone. 

“What happened last time,” Mr. Stark said softly, his breath washing over Peter, making his eyes flutter. “At S.H.I.E.L.D. That can't happen again.”

“I-I’m so-”

“Don’t apologize,” Mr. Stark said, cutting him off. “That was my fault. I shouldn’t have let things get that far.”

Peter didn’t have the mind to argue. Not when Mr. Stark was so close to him. But his body was still screaming at him to take what he wanted. 

He hesitantly leaned forwards, the inches between them disappearing until Peter could see the small flecks of gold in Mr. Stark’s eyes. 

He wasn’t sure that the man was breathing. He wasn’t even sure that _he_ was breathing. His heart was pounding viciously inside his chest and it was the only thing he could hear in the silence of the car.

Peter’s eyes flickered downwards to Mr. Stark’s lips, involuntarily licking his own in anticipation. When Mr. Stark caught the movement, he groaned, a guttural and defeated noise. And Peter knew. He knew it right then in that moment. Mr. Stark felt it, too. 

His mind was made up. Peter closed his eyes and held his breath, leaning forward the remaining distance. And then.

The softest touch. The lightest caress. 

Before the ringing of a cell phone pulled Mr. Stark’s attention away. The man turned his head, letting out a breath and Peter tried his best not to look disappointed, but it was incredibly hard. The frustration was building inside of him and he really just wanted to hit something. Or scream. Or both. 

But he forgot his momentary anger when he heard who was speaking to Mr. Stark on the phone. 

“117A Bleecker Street. _Now_.” Peter knew that voice. It was Nick Fury. 

Mr. Stark rolled his eyes. “This is kind of a bad time. Just tell the wizard I’ll have it done.”

Peter furrowed his brow at that. What was Mr. Stark talking about? As far as he knew, he and Mr. Strange weren’t really close. What could they be working on together?

“That woman’s been spotted. Get your ass over there.”

_That woman_. Peter shuddered. There could only be one person Mr. Fury is talking about. A flash of dark skin and darker eyes danced across his brain.

“I can’t.” Mr. Stark glanced at Peter. “I’m with the kid.”

“You can’t keep him out of this forever, Stark. He was going to find out sooner or later.”

Peter looked at Mr. Stark whose jaw was clenched tightly. 

“I’ve sent the others. Go now.”

With that, Nick Fury hung up and the two of them were left in silence. Mr. Stark clenched his fists and hit the steering wheel of his car. “Fuck,” he growled, before backing out of the parking lot and speeding through the streets, ignoring the horns of aggravated drivers.

“What was Mr. Fury talking about,” Peter asked. 

Mr. Stark remained silent which only angered him more. 

“What aren’t you telling me,” he demanded. “I deserve to know.”

Mr. Stark glanced at him pleadingly. “Please just drop it, kid.” 

Peter shook his head. “No. I’m not a child anymore. Stop treating me like one.” He was frustrated. Tired of being kept in the dark. Tired of not being treated like an Avenger. “Stop lying to me.”

Mr. Stark whipped his head around and raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “You first.”

“W-What,” Peter said, his voice quivering. Please, no. He wasn’t ready for his feelings to be revealed.

“You didn’t tell me that you were infatuated with some billionaire playboy.”

Now Peter was confused. “H-Huh?”

Mr. Stark rolled his eyes. “Are you seriously going to sit there and pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about?” 

Peter remained silent, completely baffled and Mr. Stark’s grip on the steering wheel tightened as he ground out the words, “Harry. Osborn.”

“ _What_?”

Mr. Stark took a sharp turn, the tires screeching loudly on the pavement. “Jesus christ, Peter! You’re in love with Harry fucking Osborn!” Then, in a lower voice, “You almost had me believing that you-”

Mr. Stark grit his teeth to stop himself from continuing, but Peter wasn’t about to give up that easily.

“That I what?”

“Nothing.”

“That I what,” Peter insisted. 

Mr. Stark turned to look at him, his eyes showing betrayal. “That you wanted me.”

Peter stared in shock.

The car came to a stop across the street from the New York Sanctum, the place Dr. Strange called his home. Mr. Stark got out of the car without another word, slamming the door shut behind him and leaving Peter alone with his thoughts.

What was he supposed to do now? Should he deny what Mr. Stark said? Should he tell the man that he was right? That Peter had wanted him for a long time, longer than he cared to admit?

A scream from outside distracted him and he snapped to his senses. Peter leapt out of the car and saw that most of the Avengers were outside with Mr. Stark joining them. They were all looking up. Peter followed their line of sight to the top of the brick building. His eyes widened. 

Standing on the edge of the green-tinged roof was the alien. The successor to Thanos. Skin the color of midnight and eyes the shade of oblivion. Her arm was outstretched. 

And dangling like a rag doll with his neck enclosed in this woman’s tight grasp was Dr. Strange, his blood dripping onto the street below.  
____________________  
Tony glared at the alien above him. Sensing his gaze, she flashed a menacing smile in his direction and her grip tightened around the wizard’s neck. Tony could hear the pained moan from the ground.

“I am flattered that you all came just for me,” she said. “But I am a little disappointed.” She raised her arm higher, as though she were displaying Strange’s body as a trophy. “Was this really the best you could come up with? I was hoping for a bit more of a challenge.”

“This woman is starting to freak me out,” Clint murmured under his breath. 

Tony didn’t look towards his friend. He didn’t want to take his eyes off of the alien. He couldn’t afford to make any mistakes, not with Peter here. 

“Did you honestly think I would fall for this pathetic trap of yours,” she asked, amusment in her tone. 

“No harm in trying,” Tony called out.

The alien turned her eyes towards him and gave him an expression of sympathy. “I’m afraid that’s where you’re wrong, Stark. I said that I would destroy the one you love most.” She paused, giving him a knowing smile. “The decision has been made.”

Tony felt a pit form in his stomach. Dread. Anxiety. Fear. All of it was swirling around inside his head. “Did someone get in touch with Pepper?”

Rhodey nodded. “Yes. She said that her and Morgan are fine.”

Tony closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he and Pepper were no longer together, he still loved her. He always would, no matter what. 

“Oh, don’t worry,” the alien chuckled. “I won’t kill him yet. Otherwise, there would be no incentive for you.”

It was Sam who spoke up. He narrowed his eyes and said, “To do what?”

She rolled her eyes, as though it were obvious. “To give me the Infinity Shards, of course.”

“No way in hell is he handing them over to you,” Rhodey declared as he readied a gun in his War Machine suit. 

The alien sighed, exasperated, her grip on the wizard’s neck tightening. “Look. I don’t feel like taking the time to search this pathetic hunk of rock. Either Stark hands me the Infinity Shards or I start dropping bodies. This will be the first.”

Faster than Tony could process, she released her grip on the wizard’s neck and Strange fell. Before he could hit the pavement below, Wanda halted his descent, his body floating on the waves of her red power. 

The Avengers were silent as they watched Strange being slowly lowered to the ground. They didn’t dare move.

The alien looked directly at Tony, the warning clear in her eyes. “Believe when I say that you don’t want to see the last.”

She turned and walked away from the ledge. 

Thor took his Stormbreaker and flew into the air, letting loose a battle cry as he landed on the roof. But it was no use. 

She was gone.  
____________________  
Tony buried his head in his hands as the Avengers sat around the table in S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. 

As soon as the alien disappeared, they had brought Strange here. He was currently in critical condition and wasn’t allowed to see anyone. Nobody knew if he would make it through the night.

“What the hell do we do now,” Bucky asked, his metal arm slamming on the table. 

“We have no idea who she will attack next and there is no way that we can protect the entire city,” Sam said.

Wanda sighed, exhaustion showing in her features. “We cannot let her have the shards. She will kill billions.”

They all remained silent, even Fury. The decision they were faced with was an impossible one. 

“Wait.”

A voice rang out in the room. Tony hung his head as everyone turned to look at the young man in the corner. “What shards,” Peter questioned. “What are you all talking about?”

Tony prayed that everyone would keep their mouths shut, but of course, that was a futile effort. Fury spoke up. “Shards from the Infinity Stones.”

Peter furrowed his brow. “I thought the stones were destroyed.”

Heads swiveled towards Tony and he inwardly groaned. “I…” He didn’t know how to finish that sentence. Didn’t know what he could say to justify his actions. But he didn’t need to. Peter knew what he did.

“You lied.” It was a statement, not a question.

“You lied to me,” Peter repeated. 

Tony couldn’t look him in the eyes, didn’t want to see the hurt and betrayal he knew he would find. 

“Why don’t you trust me?”

Tony looked up. “I do tr-”

“Stop lying to me!”

Everyone stared, bewildered at the young man in the corner of the room with his fists clenched and his breathing heavy. “You don’t trust me. You treat me like a child. But I am an Avenger and I am _stronger_ than you.” Peter’s voice softened to a whisper. “And I am tired of trying to prove it.”

Tony watched with wide eyes as Peter left the room quietly. He was about to go after him. Apologize. Ask for another chance. Beg on his knees if he had to. All Tony knew was that he couldn’t allow Peter to leave. He didn’t know how to live knowing that Peter had given up on him. 

But Rhodey put a hand on his arm to stop him. 

He stared frantically at the door and then at his best friend. “Get your hand off of me,” he growled lowly.

Rhodey remained unfazed with the thinly veiled threat. “Let him go,” he said calmly. “Give him time to cool off.”

“No,” he snarled, trying to yank free again.

“Tony,” his best friend’s voice was pleading. “You are needed here. Pepper is in danger.”

He hesitated. Tony now had a choice to make. He could stay here with the others. Help devise a plan to stop the alien from killing Pepper. Or… 

He could go after Peter. Find him and beg for forgiveness. 

Pepper or Peter.

Pepper.

Peter.  
____________________  
She was playing at the kitchen table with Morgan, trying to figure out how to tell her daughter that her mother and father were no longer together. Right now, Morgan only thought that Tony was away on business and would be coming back soon. But that excuse wouldn’t last forever.

Pepper sighed again. Morgan paused in her coloring to glance at the mother who flashed her a reassuring smile, to which Morgan returned to the picture in front of her. A picture of her family. 

Pepper glanced down at the stick figure with dark, spiky hair with sunglasses. She bit her lip. _Tony_. 

She could hear her phone begin to ring from the other room and left Morgan to her drawing in order to answer it. But Pepper hesitated when she saw the caller ID. 

After a small moment of deliberation, she pressed the ‘answer’ button and held the phone up to her ear. 

“Pepper,” she heard him ask with urgency in his tone.

She sighed. “What do you want, Tony?”

She heard fumbling in the background. Just-ah, watch out. I just needed to tell you that-coming through. That I’m sorry.”

“What’s going on?” She heard another crash. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Tony said, his breath coming out in short pants. “I just needed to.” Another breath. “Tell you that I’m sorry.”

“For what,” she sighed. This was about the last conversation she wanted to be having right now. 

“For everything.” 

Before she could ask for a more descriptive explanation, he asked, “Are you safe?”

“Yes.” This was getting ridiculous. Her and Morgan were being guarded day and night by the security detail that Tony himself assigned to them. Their home was miles away from any town or person. They were fine.

“Tony, could you please tell me what this is ab-”

Before she could even finish her sentence, he had hung up. She looked down at her phone, shaking her head exasperatedly. Pepper sighed and returned to the kitchen so she could continue coloring with her daughter.  
____________________  
Tony ended the call with Pepper, just barely missing yet another collision with some poor, unsuspecting S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. 

He was racing up and down the corridors, searching frantically, his breath ragged in his ears.

How could he have been so stupid? Why did he push Peter away? It didn’t matter that he was in love with that playboy Harry Osborn. It didn’t matter that Tony was wrong for Peter in about a million different ways. It didn’t matter that he could never have Peter the way he wanted. 

Tony just wanted Peter any way he could get.

He veered down a corridor, dodging another person that wasn’t Peter. Where the hell was he? Tony stopped for a moment to catch his breath and gather his thoughts. He didn’t think that Peter would leave S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. He had no money, no suit, and they were too far for him to walk home.

So where would Peter go?

Tony tried to think. Peter had only been here twice. The first time was three days ago. When the incident happened…

Tony immediately switched directions, racing down the hallways, pushing past startled agents. 

Less than two minutes later, he burst through the doors of the room they were in the last time they were here together. And there, sitting in the corner with his knees curled up against him and his eyes rimmed with tears, was Peter.  
____________________  
“What are you doing here,” Peter asked. He wanted to be left alone and this was the only place he could think of to escape to.

He sucked in a breath when Mr. Stark crossed the room in a few, long strides. He bent down and Peter felt the urge to turn his head away. He didn’t want to look into the man’s eyes. He feared that if he did, Mr. Stark would be able to tell everything he was feeling at that moment.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Mr. Stark said with a poor attempt at a smile.

Peter did not return the gesture. “Shouldn’t you be with the others, helping to save Pepper?” His tone was full of jealousy and anger and he hated himself for it.

Mr. Stark shook his head. “They can handle it themselves. They don’t need me.”

Peter wasn’t sure what else he could say. He was embarrassed that he had blown up at Mr. Stark in front of everyone. He was furious that Mr. Stark continued to treat him like a helpless child. He was confused that Mr. Stark was here now, with him, when he should be with the others. 

“You mind telling me what’s going on in that head of yours, kid?”

Peter bit his lip hesitantly. “I don’t want you to see me as a kid anymore.”

Mr. Stark shook his head. “I don’t.”

“Than why do you keep calling me one?”

Mr. Stark looked as though he were about to argue, but then caught himself and chuckled. “Old habits and everything. I’ll stop if you want me to.”

Peter nodded. 

“Anything else,” Mr. Stark asked him. 

Peter didn’t have to think twice. “I don’t want you to lie to me anymore.”

“Done.”

Peter looked at him uncertainly.

“I can’t stand you being mad at me, ki-Peter,” Mr. Stark corrected. 

Peter felt his cheeks heat, remembering his behavior only a few minutes ago. “Mr. Stark, I-I’m sorry. About what happened. I-I shouldn’t have yelled.”

Mr. Stark shook his head. “Don’t apologize. Not for that.”

“But-”

“I mean it,” he said sternly. “All of this is my fault. All of it. I put you in danger more times than I can count. I lied to you, repeatedly. I got mad when I found out about you and Harry Osborn. It was none of my business and I-”

“Wait,” Peter said, effectively ending Mr. Stark’s attempt at an apology. “Me and Harry? What about us?” He remembered Mr. Stark saying something about the subject earlier, when they were in the car. Before everything happened.

Mr. Stark rolled his eyes. “Please. Stop pretending. I’m fine with it. Promise.”

Peter furrowed his brow. “Mr. Stark, I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The man must have noticed his confusion. “Peter. I know about your infatuation with Osborn. I might not approve of it, but-”

“Mr. Stark,” Peter said sternly, wanting his next words to be made clearly with no possibility of misunderstanding. “There is no infatuation with Harry. At all.”

“But, what about your text? You wanted to spend time with some guy?”

Peter felt another wave of heat wash over his cheeks. “T-That… wasn’t about Harry.”

“Oh,” Mr. Stark said, sitting back. His eyes narrowed. “Who was it about? Someone from high school? A person on the decathlon team? What was that kid’s name? Flash?”

“No,” Peter exclaimed. He shuddered at the idea. “It’s not him.”

Sensing his hesitation, Mr. Stark said, “Don’t leave me in the dark, Peter. Just tell me.”

“Well…”

“Come on.”

“I…”

“Spit it out.”

Peter threw his arms in the air, exasperated. “It was you!”  
____________________  
Everyone else had left the room. The only two remaining were Sam and Rhodey. 

“You know,” Sam started, his finger tapping against the table. “I can’t get something out of my head.”

Rhodey looked up, exhaustion from the day wearing him down. “What is it?”

“Earlier, when that alien said she would kill the one Tony loved most…” Sam trailed off, his brows scrunching together, deep in thought.

“What about it?”

“She said ‘him’.”

Rhodey was too tired for this. “What are you talking about?”

“She said ‘him’,” Sam repeated, his voice filled with conviction. “She said that there would be no sense in killing _him_ yet.”

Rhodey straightened in his seat, scraping through his memories of earlier that day. Sam was right. The alien was referring to a man.

He remained completely silent, his body tense as Sam wondered aloud, “She couldn’t have been talking about Pepper, then… Who _is_ the person Tony loves most?”

Rhodey gulped. _Tony, you didn’t._

He only prayed that he was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, poor Dr. Strange! I know it's sad and tragic, but don't worry, I have no intentions of killing off his character! Things are finally starting to pick up though! I promise that we are not too far off from Peter and Tony FINALLY getting together! Just hang in there! As always, please leave comments/kudos on this chapter! I am always open to criticism! Until next time!


	10. I Can’t Lose You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! The response to this story has been AMAZING! I honestly didn’t think it would be this popular! I want to thank everyone who left kudos/comments on my last chapter! It really pushed me to get this one out fast! And this is one of my favorite chapters because there are some SERIOUS STARKER moments and I hope you guys like them! I must have had I think four or five different versions to this, but after a ton of editing, I think I’ve got something that you guys will like! *fingers crossed* As always, let me know what you guys think! And enjoy!

Everyone crowded into the small, sterilized room, pressed against each other awkwardly while Sam sat in a chair next to the bed, leaning towards the battered and bloodied figure lying motionless in it.

“Strange,” Sam said as a way of greeting. “How are you feeling?” It was his sad attempt to be cordial towards a fellow hero that he hardly knew.

A defeated sigh could be heard throughout the room before Dr. Strange mustered up the energy to respond. “I… I couldn’t st-stop her.” His voice was haggard. His breathing labored.

Sam rubbed his hands over his face. He was not having a good day. Or a good week. 

How did Cap do this? How did he always manage to bring the team together when everything seemed bleak? How did he stand confidently against any and all threats, even when there was no hope of winning? 

Sam had kept the shield after Cap gave it to him, but he was hesitant to use it. Because to use it would be to represent everything that Cap had stood for. Everything that he believed in. 

Sam didn’t know if he could do that. 

“Is there _anything_ you can tell us about her,” he asked, still praying for some glimmer of hope. 

Strange nodded, although it looked painful to accomplish. “She… she said her n-name was… Morana.”

Everyone took a moment to absorb the new information until Thor spoke up, his presence large and imposing in the small quarters. “I know of the name. In some cultures, it is associated with the goddess of death.”

Bucky turned to the Norse God. “Well, that can’t be good.”

Sam ignored the commentary. “Anything else,” he pressed. There had to be something, anything, that could help them defeat this alien. 

Strange shook his head, wincing at the pain that shot down his spine. 

Sam sighed. “What are we supposed to do now?”

No one answered, seeming to be preoccupied with some corner of the room where they could conveniently divert their attention. The silence was only broken when Strange let out a low groan as he tried to reposition himself into an upright position. 

“I believe I might have an idea.” All eyes looked to the wizard. “Although, I do not believe Stark would agree with it,” Dr. Strange warns. 

Sam glanced around the room, measuring everyone’s reactions to the news. Having reached a general consensus, he nodded before turning to Strange. “We’ll handle Tony. What do you got?”

The wizard raised his eyebrow. “That depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether Mr. Parker is willing to risk his life.”

Everyone collapsed into silence, the thought of willingly risking one of their friend’s and teammate’s lives weighing heavily in their minds. Wanda, however, was the first to speak up, her sisterly concern for Peter showing clearly in her tone. “What does any of this have to do with Peter?”

Strange let out a rasping chuckle. “Ms. Maximoff, I’m afraid this has everything to do with Mr. Parker.”

Clint cleared his throat, agitation rolling off in waves because of the wizard’s ridiculous riddles. “How so?”

“Well,” Strange said, “ it is my belief that this alien is after Mr. Parker.”

Sam stared at the wizard, confusion plaguing his expression. Everyone else around the room leaned forward, their curiosity piqued. Rhodey was the only one who lingered in the corner, hoping to go unnoticed and forgotten as dread settled in the pit of his stomach.

“Why would she want Peter?”

Strange looked at Sam as though he were a fool. “I thought it would be… obvious,” the wizard said, his breath uneven. “Stark killed her predecessor. Now she wants to kill his successor.”

“I thought Stark hadn’t made it official,” Bucky muttered.

“Not to the media, no,” Sam responded. “But he had told us. Five years ago.” The rest of the sentence had gone unsaid, but everyone already knew what it was. _Before Peter had died_.

Rhodey remembered that day. When Tony had dragged him off to the side and told him that if anything should happen to him, he was entrusting everything to Peter. Rhodey remembered the confidence in Tony’s eyes that day. The determination. In all of his years of knowing Tony, that was the only time he had ever seen his friend assured in his decision. No second-guessing. No doubt. But that was before Thanos. Before The Snap. 

Before Peter died.

“That was so long ago. How does she even know that Peter is Stark’s successor,” Wanda asked, effectively waking Rhodey from his thoughts.

“It’s not entirely difficult to guess,” Strange answered.

”Wait,” Clint said. “This alien-Morana? She said she wanted to kill the one Tony loves most. Why does she now want his successor?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Strange said. “Kill one… and you kill the other.”

Rhodey stiffened.

“Now I’m really confused,” Bucky mumbled to no one in particular. 

Everyone shared similar sentiments and Strange gave them all incredulous looks. “You really don't know?” But he received his answer based upon the perplexed expressions on everyone’s faces. 

He sighed. “Peter is Stark’s successor.”

Rhodey held his breath, hoping that he was wrong, knowing that he wasn’t.

Strange spoke again. “But he’s also the one Stark loves most.”

Rhodey hung his head.  
____________________  
He didn’t know what to say. Didn’t even think he could form the words. His mind was playing on repeat that one sentence over and over again. 

_It was you_.

 _It was you_.

 _It was you_.

Where was he supposed to go from there? What was he supposed to do now? He never imagined that something like this would happen.

He thought that he would apologize and they would go back to how they were before. In the lab on the weekends, modifying their suits. Sitting on his couch, watching old science fiction movies. Talking for hours about the most trivial things. 

But now? He didn’t know. This was what he wanted. This moment, right here. But there were so many reasons why this was wrong. So many arguments why this was a terrible idea. 

“W-We can’t. I-I can’t. What happened last time. That shouldn’t. We shouldn’t.” He was stumbling, trying to find the words. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He wasn’t prepared.

“I’m so-”

“Jesus christ. Don’t apologize. Not for that.” If anything, that was what he should be doing. There were so many things that he had done wrong in his life. So many things he needed to atone for. He’d be damned if he allowed Peter to be another.  
____________________  
He was a torrent of emotion. He wasn’t sure if this was right-it probably wasn’t. But he was done overthinking. He was done contemplating the hundreds of reasons they shouldn’t happen. There was only one reason they should happen and it was the only one he cared about. 

“I’m sorry for this, then.”

Before he could pause. Before he could hesitate. Before he could think about how this one move could destroy everything. 

Peter closed his eyes, leaned forward, and crashed his lips against Mr. Stark. 

The kiss was tentative at first. Peter was terrified that the man would reject this. Reject _him_. He was sure that Mr. Stark had seen him only as a mentee for several years. Peter could have completely misunderstood this entire thing between them. He could have just ruined their relationship. Maybe Mr. Stark was disgusted with kissing him. Maybe he never wanted to see him again. 

These were all of the terrifying thoughts floating around inside his head. But after a few seconds… _oh_. 

Mr. Stark groaned like it hurt and then began to respond.

And it was like coming home.

Peter had never been so happy in his life. Mr. Stark was kissing him. Kissing him with a fury that made Peter’s entire body crumble. The kiss was heated and wet and absolutely perfect and Peter was whimpering within seconds.

When Mr. Stark’s hands slid through his hair, his fingers tugging on the strands, Peter gasped. The man took advantage and thrust his tongue inside Peter’s mouth, claiming him with such aggression that Peter couldn’t help but cling to his shirt. 

“M-Mr...Mr. S-Stark…”

Mr. Stark chuckled against his mouth as his hands began to glide over Peter’s body, the pure possession of the act sending Peter to new heights. He visibly shuddered as the man’s fingers found a strip of skin.

He could feel the pressure building up. He was close. So close. He just needed-

“Tony.”

He and Mr. Stark both turned their heads to find Rhodey standing in the doorway, eyes widened in shock. He looked back and forth between the two. With both of them on the floor, their hair a mess, breathing heavily and Peter practically straddling Mr. Stark in his lap, it did not take a detective to figure out what had just happened.

“Tony,” Rhodey repeated, his voice full of sympathy, pity, and reproach. “What have you done?”

Peter’s heart was pounding for a completely different reason now. He wasn’t sure he was breathing. It was like being doused with a bucket of ice cold water, his arousal long gone. What were they going to do? 

Mr. Stark must have sensed his fear because he tightened his arms around Peter as a way of reassurance before helping him to his feet, keeping a steady hand on his hip for which Peter was grateful for. He didn’t trust his legs to work properly at the moment. 

His entire body was shaking, from embarrassment or fear, Peter wasn’t sure. As Rhodey crossed the room in long, purposeful strides, Peter grasped Mr. Stark’s shirt.

“M-Mr. Stark…” he said uneasily.

“I’ll take care of it,” Mr. Stark said, his grip on Peter tightening one last time before disappearing altogether. “Just stay here.”

Peter nodded unthinkingly. He watched as Mr. Stark left with Rhodey, the door closing behind them with a resolute bang. Peter was alone in the dark, quiet room.

 _What have they done?_  
____________________  
“What the hell am I supposed to think, Tony?” 

Rhodey rubbed a hand over his face. “Is this why you’ve been so distracted lately? Because you’ve been fooling around with the kid?”

“Do you think I planned this,” Tony snarled. “That I wanted this to happen?” 

Rhodey threw his hands in the air. “I have no idea. I don’t know what the hell is going on inside your head.” He sunk down into a chair, the furniture groaning under his weight. “Not that I ever could.”

A tense silence filled the room, neither knowing what to say to the other.

“How long,” Rhodey suddenly asked him.

“Huh,” Tony said. God, he was starting to sound like Peter.

“How long has this been going on,” Rhodey clarified. “Did you want Peter back then?”

Tony stared at his supposed best friend, both offended and horrified. “Jesus christ, no,” he said, his voice confident and steady. “This all happened after my resurrection.”

Rhodey nodded, taking in the information and looking at least somewhat relieved that his best friend was not a child mollester. “What about Pepper? Morgan?”

Tony gulped. This was the one of the many things that he was ashamed of. “I… me and Pepper are over. Have been for awhile.”

Rhodey gave him a sympathetic look, only intensifying Tony’s guilt. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He shrugged to which Rhodey heaved another great sigh. “Look. As much as I want to pummel you into the ground right now… we have bigger problems than your chaotic love life.”

Tony inwardly groaned. Of course they did. When did they not? 

“The team knows.”

“Knows what?”

“They know that you love the kid.”

“ _What_?” He had to stop doing that. He was beginning to sound way too much like Peter.

Rhodey held up his hands in an attempt to calm Tony down. “Relax. They think it’s purely platonic. Father and son. That sort of thing.”

Tony furrowed his brow. “But how do they even know any of this,” he asked, trying not to panic about the fact that Rhodey had used _that_ word. The word he had been specifically avoiding for the past couple of weeks. He seriously was not ready to face his already complicated feelings. Throwing _that_ word into the mix, wouldn’t be helping matters.

“Strange told them. I guess he’s not as clueless as the rest of the team.”

Tony arched his brow at Rhodey’s statement, who rolled his eyes. “It’s not hard to guess. You’re not exactly subtle when it comes to the kid.” 

Tony would have normally brushed off the remark with some joke or offhanded comment, but a horrible flashed into his head, making his body become taut as a bowstring. “Wait.” His voice was filled with terror as his mind put together the pieces of the puzzle. “Does _she_ know about me and Peter?” He didn’t need to clarify who he was referring to, Rhodey already knew. 

His friend sighed, the sympathy plain in his expression. “Which brings us to our next big problem.”

“She’s not going after Pepper,” Tony stated, dread filling the pit of his stomach. 

Rhodey shook his head. “No. She’s going after Peter.”

Tony ran his hands through his hair, fear gripping his heart. He felt sick. Angry. Terrified. “Listen, Tony,” Rhodey began, hesitation clear in his voice. “The team has a plan.”

Tony whirled around to face his friend, not liking where this was going. “What plan,” he spit out.

“...They want Peter to use the shards.” Rhodey looked as though it pained him to say it.

“NO,” Tony stated immediately. “No way in hell is he doing that.”

“Just listen.” Rhodey held up his hands placatingly. “Peter is the one she wants. He is the only one who can get close enough to do it.”

“I don’t care. He’ll get himself _killed_.”

“No, he won’t.” Rhodey shook his head. “You survived after using the Infinity Stones and although you refuse to admit it, Peter is stronger than you. He’ll be fine.”

“He’s not doing it,” Tony declared, his jaw clenched and his fists tightened. He didn’t care if he was being overprotective, he would rather die than watch Peter use the shards.

“What am I not doing?”

The two men both turned to find Peter standing in the doorway, his hair sticking up in every direction. “S-Sorry,” he mumbled, bashful. “Oversensitive hearing…”A blush bloomed on his cheeks and any other time, Tony would have found it endearing, but not now. 

“Nothing,” Tony said, before his friend could speak. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Tony,” Rhodey warned. “He has the right to know.”

He remained silent, his entire body tense as Rhodey turned to Peter and said, “We might have a plan to stop the alien.”

“What is it,” Peter asked, obviously eager to finally be included.

“We think that you could-”

“Don’t,” Tony begged. He didn’t want Peter to know that a genocidal alien was planning to kill him all because Tony lo- cared for him, but Rhodey continued. 

“We think that you could destroy her by using the shards yourself.”

Tony breathed a sigh of relief. Rhodey had managed to keep quiet about Peter being marked for death, but his relief was short-lived when he heard Peter say, “I want to do it.” There was no hesitation.

“Kid,” Tony growled. It was a warning. He didn’t care that he said he would stop calling Peter a kid. He was going to break his promise if Peter wasn’t going to keep his. 

“You promised,” Tony reminded him. “That you would stay out of this. You promised.”

So, _technically_ Peter didn’t actually voice the words, but he did hug Tony after the man had practically begged him to sit this fight out. If that wasn’t a promise, Tony didn’t know what was.

“I want to help, Mr. Stark.” And damn Tony for loving the way Peter lit up with earnest determination. “I can do it.”

“Peter,” Tony whispered, his voice broken. “I can’t. Don’t make me go through it again.”

Rhodey looked between Peter and Tony, surprised and amazed. Even a blind man could see the deep emotional connection the two shared. “Tony,” he said gently. “Peter will be alright.”

Tony whipped his head around to face Rhodey. “You can’t guarantee that.”

“Mr. Stark. I know I can do it,” Peter said, warmth and determination in his eyes. “Because you did.” 

Then, Peter flashed him a thousand-watt smile that made Tony’s heart do interesting things inside his chest. But he wasn’t ready to give in just yet, no matter how fucking adorable his Peter was. “No,” he declared. “No. There has to be another way.”

Before Peter could object to Tony’s overprotective nature, Rhodey yielded, exasperated. “Fine. Fury’s team is still working on other ideas. But Tony… If I had to guess, this alien is serious about dropping bodies. I don’t want to wait long enough to test my theory,” Rhodey gave his friend a knowing look. “I’m thinking you don’t either.”

Tony knew what Rhodey was talking about. He had always felt personally responsible for any deaths that might have happened on his watch, even the ones that were out of his control. He still had nightmares about New York City and Sokovia, battles that were several years ago. Although most nights in the past five years, when he did find sleep, had been plagued with the billions of deaths that happened because he had failed stopping Thanos the first time around. One death in particular replayed over and over inside his mind.

Rhodey gave Tony a pointed stare before leaving him and Peter alone. Neither knew what to say. The silence settled over them like a heavy blanket and before Tony completely lost his mind, Peter mumbled, “W-Why won’t you let me do this?”

“I think I’ve made it pretty clear several times that I can’t lose you, Peter.”

Tony watched as Peter’s face turned a bright crimson and began to fidget. “Y-You won’t.”

“Yeah, I know,” Tony said. Then, his voice stern and unyielding, “Because you’re not doing it.”

Peter opened his mouth to object, but Tony stopped him before he could. “This is all a moot point anyway. Fury will find another way to stop this alien.”

“A-And… if he doesn’t?”

Tony remained silent and Peter seized his opportunity. “P-Please, Mr. Stark…”

Tony cursed himself inwardly. He hated how his body perked up with interest whenever Peter said please like that. He closed his eyes and willed his arousal to recede. _Think of something revolting, Tony…_ He concentrated. _Happy naked_. He shuddered. _Ugh, maybe not_.”

But imagining Happy naked did the trick. His body calmed down long enough for him to focus, open his eyes and say, “No, not happening.” 

“L-Let me save you this time.” 

“You already have,” Tony said sincerely, his soft tone surprising himself. “More times than I can count.” And god, those words were the truth. 

Not only had Peter saved his life when nobody else could, he had pulled Tony up when nobody even knew that he was drowning. Peter had come barging into his life with his gleeful smiles and contagious laughter when Tony needed him the most, even though he didn’t know it at the time. Peter had wriggled his way into Tony’s heart and filled a hole Tony didn’t know existed. 

And before Peter could object again, Tony reached out and pulled Peter towards him, crushing his lips against his.

Tony could feel the hesitancy in Peter’s movements and didn’t blame him. This thing between them was so raw, so fragile. He had lied to Peter so many times. About so many things. And now he was lying about Peter being marked for death. 

He had made a lot of mistakes to get to this moment and one wrong move could ruin all of this.

But then Peter grew more confident. He could feel Peter’s small, soft hands weave behind his neck. His lean, thin frame press into him. 

The kiss was rushed, as if they both knew that their time was short, but it was filled with so many emotions that Tony didn’t know how to name. Didn’t know if he wanted to. But he could certainly show them.

He weaved his hand into Peter’s hair, tugging on the strands in a way he knew only Peter liked. He smiled when he heard Peter’s soft whimpers. Tony ran his tongue along the seam of Peter’s lips, begging for entrance, and Peter was all too willing to give it to him. He groaned when he got his first taste. 

Their mouths were hot against each other and their kiss was a clashing of tongue and teeth, but Tony would never tire of this. The sounds Peter makes. The way he tastes. The way he feels. He committed all of it to memory before pulling away. 

Tony chuckled softly when Peter tried to follow his movement, whimpering when he lost contact. “If we continue much longer, I won’t be able to control myself.” He pressed one more chaste kiss to Peter’s lips. “And something tells me Fury wouldn’t be too happy to find me taking you right here on the floor.”

He relished in the heat that raced to Peter’s cheeks, turning his face an adorable shade of pink. “I-I should… probably get home. Tell May what’s happened… ” 

Tony had almost forgotten that it was well past midnight and Peter’s attractive aunt had no idea where her nephew was. The responsible thing to do would be to drive Peter home, wait until he got inside and then return to his lonely and cold penthouse where he could then order FRIDAY to add more S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to Peter’s security detail. Yes, that would be the responsible thing to do. 

“I’m taking you back to my penthouse,” Tony declared. 

Peter look startled, a blush slowly appearing on his cheeks. “A-Are you sure, M-Mr. Stark? I d-don’t want to impose or anything. I-I mean, I w-want to. B-But…”

Tony watched in amusement at his stumbling. “Look. I need a good night’s sleep and so do you. And I don’t mean to brag, but I make an amazing homemade hot chocolate with miniature marshmallows.”

He could still see Peter’s hesitancy in his eyes. “I promise, no funny business. Just sleep,” Tony vowed, even though to be sleeping only a few doors down from Peter for the entire night was going to really test his self control. 

Peter bit his lip and damn, that was sexy as all hell. “I-I don’t know, M-Mr. Stark… Won’t the others need h-help?”

Tony waved the question away. “Fury’s got it covered. Besides, neither of us are much help when we haven’t slept in days.”

At seeing Peter’s upcoming objection he holds up a finger and says, “Don't deny it, kid. I know you don’t sleep well.” 

Tony knew that Peter had nightmares about dying. And really, who could blame him? He literally turned into dust, as though he never even existed. Tony had nightmares simply about _watching_ Peter die. He shuddered at the actual feeling of it. 

“I-I thought you weren’t going to call me k-kid anymore,” Peter mumbled.

Tony raised a brow at him. “I’ll stop calling you kid as soon as you promise not to use the shards.”

He didn’t have to look to know that Peter was about to protest. “And at the risk of starting another argument and postponing much needed sleep,” Tony says, exhaustion beginning to weigh him down. “I propose we hold off on this debate until tomorrow. Sound fair?”

To Tony’s utter surprise, Peter simply nods and allows himself to be led out of the room and to the exit of S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. 

The drive back to the penthouse was quiet, both lost in thought about the events of the day. First, Tony’s tense meeting with Peter and Harry. Then, the appearance of the alien-who Tony had learned was given the ridiculous name of ‘Morana.’ Lastly, and the most shocking despite the chaos of the day, was the fact that he and Peter had kissed. 

Tony still had yet to wrap his mind around that revolation. Only recently had he begun to see Peter as possibly more than just a mentee or a friend. The concept of them being anything more than that was still very lucid and very new. But nevertheless, he was glad that the kiss had happened. He just wasn’t sure where to go from there.

He had to tread carefully, more so than any of his other past relationships. He had a feeling that Peter was brand new to all of this and he didn’t want to push things when he wasn’t ready. The media, however, was another problem entirely. 

Tony had no idea how people would respond to him being in a relationship with a coworker- although he didn’t know if Peter wanted to keep his identity a secret-and a person more than half of his age and a _male_ for that matter. Tony had always walked the edge and there had certainly been rumors on his sexual orientation-some of which were true, others not so much-but once he married Pepper, things had settled. Which brought him to another problem.

How was he going to explain this to Pepper? And Morgan? The thought of that unpleasant conversation made his stomach twist in a painful way. 

So lost in his own ramblings, Tony hardly realized that they had even reached his penthouse until his car door was being opened by a valet giving him a pleasant smile as he offered to take his keys. 

Tony gave the man his keys and went around to the other side of the car to open Peter’s door, waving off the other valet who was planning on doing it himself. He watched in amusement when Peter blushed at his action. 

Tony looped an arm around Peter’s lower back and the two made their way inside the building, with Tony having to practically drag Peter through the door. 

He could sense Peter’s discomfort the moment they entered the lobby. Tony knew that people would be staring at the pair with curiosity. Everywhere Tony went, he had eyes on him. He was used to it. But Peter wasn’t. And right now, the curious expressions weren’t being directed at Tony Stark, they were being directed at the young man who was walking side by side to the top floor of the building in the middle of the night with one of the most well-known and affluent men in the world. 

“M-Mr. Stark,” Peter whispered under his breath as they made their way to his private elevator that very few people had access to, Peter being one of them. “They’re all s-staring at us.”

He flashed a smile. “Let them.”

And with that, they stepped into the elevator and rode the many floors up to the top where Tony’s penthouse was located. 

He let go of Peter once they were inside and made his way to the kitchen where he then proceeded to pull out ingredients needed to make homemade hot chocolate. He chuckled when Peter settled into one of the bar stools at the kitchen island and proceeded to watch Tony with rapt attention and curiosity as he prepared the delicious drinks that were done not ten minutes later, topped with miniature marshmallows that were already starting to melt in the warm liquid. 

Tony looked on in amusement as Peter took the offered mug into his hand and took a hesitant sip, immediately closing his eyes and humming in approval. “This is so good, M-Mr. Stark. I-I didn’t know you could cook.”

Tony laughed for what felt like the first time in a while, but it felt good. “Not many people do, although I would hardly call this cooking. But let’s just say I know my way around a kitchen.”

Peter nodded before eagerly taking another sip, smiling in delight at the sweetness on his tongue. Tony felt a warm smile tug on his lips. 

Why couldn’t all moments be like this? Peaceful. Calm. No worries of aliens trying to destroy the entire universe. He still enjoyed the occasional city-wide threat every now and again, but these continuous battles for the universe were really starting to weigh him down. 

The clinking of glassware against the countertop alerted him that Peter had already finished his drink. “I guess you liked it, huh?” 

Peter nodded lazily, his eyes already beginning to droop and his head lulling. 

Tony set down his own mug. “You look like you’re about ready to collapse. Are you going to make it to the guest bedroom?”

Peter mumbled something that was incomprehensible before sliding off his bar stool. Tony was prepared for the inevitable collapse onto the floor and caught Peter before his feet even had the chance to touch the ground. 

Tony swept Peter into his arms, no small amount of satisfaction seeping into him when Peter nudged his head further into his chest. 

When they had reached the guest bedroom and Tony was adjusting his hold on Peter so that he could turn the door handle to enter the room, he felt Peter grab onto his shirt and shake his head while still pressed against his chest. Tony heard the faintest sounds of Peter speaking and in the silence of the penthouse, he was able to decipher some of the words.

“No… want… sleep with you.”

It made his heart stutter and he was pretty certain that Peter would be able to feel it with how close they were pressed against each other.

“I don’t know, kid,” he said uncertainly. “That might not be the best idea.” Tony wasn’t sure if he trusted himself to keep his hands off of Peter from down the hall. He didn’t know what he would do with Peter in the same bed as him. 

But Peter seemed to trust him complicitly. “N-No…. want… you.”

Well, how could he possibly argue with that?

Tony turned directions and headed towards his bedroom. 

With a gentleness near reverence, he laid Peter down on his ridiculously big bed, taking off his worn shoes and the equally worn jacket from his small frame. 

Usually, Tony would sleep with just pants on, but considering the circumstances, he decided against the idea, instead opting for a faded, old MIT sweatshirt. 

He hesitated for a moment, staring at the bed where Peter had made residence right in the center of-not that he was complaining, of course. The image of Peter in his bed was not something he would likely forget anytime soon-or ever. 

He carefully slipped under the covers, whispering to FRIDAY to turn off the lights, plunging the room into darkness, except for the faint moonlight that trickled in through his windows, enough so that Tony could see Peter’s sleeping face. He doesn’t think he has ever seen something as fucking adorable as that in his entire life. 

Tony felt his eyelids begin to grow heavy and he allowed them to, feeling as though he might actually get a few hours of sleep tonight after so many nights of restlessness. 

He wasn’t wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY PETER AND TONY KISS!! Yay!! I don’t know about you guys, but there were just some parts of this chapter that absolutely made my heart melt! It was a challenging chapter because I had so many possible versions for it, but I hope you guys liked the one I chose. Please leave kudos/comments for me! I always enjoy and appreciate them. I will try and get the next chapter posted within the next week! Until next time!


	11. Paradise Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! As promised, the next chapter is out! It is slightly shorter than the others, but I think the content more than makes up for it! I do have a special request this time other than kudos and comments. PLEASE READ THE END NOTES!!! They are IMPORTANT! Other than that, enjoy!

“He will never agree to this,” Rhodey said the next morning to his teammates. They all had found their beds late last night and managed to get a few hours of sleep in preparation for the inevitable battle that was looming closer. 

Except for Rhodey, who didn’t sleep. His mind was still churning with yesterday’s events. 

Seeing his best friend on the floor, tangled up with some person wasn’t new to him. Rhodey had walked in on many of Tony’s expeditions from his younger years. But seeing his best friend tangled up with _Peter_ was… surprising, to say the least.

He had suspected that there was something going on between the two of them for a while now. Even before Thanos and the Snap, Tony had seemed to have a closer bond with Peter than just about any other person, including himself and Pepper. 

Rhodey wanted Tony to be happy, of course. He just wasn’t sure about it being with Peter. There were so many problems surrounding that relationship and the last thing Tony needed was more problems. And as much as he wanted to try and convince his friend to move on, he had seen the way Tony looks at the kid. He knew a hopeless cause when he saw one.

Rhodey shook his head, returning to the present. “As long as he’s around, he’ll never allow Peter to do this.”

“We could fix that,” Bucky grumbled and everyone looked to him, but he shrugged. “I didn’t say to kill him, did I?”

“That’s not helping,” Wanda murmured. 

“Just a suggestion.”

Wanda rolled her eyes as the room descended into silence. 

Any other time and Rhodey might have rolled his eyes or told them to focus, but not now. He was rapping his finger anxiously against the metal table. If they didn’t think of a way for Tony to agree to the plan, who knew when or where Morana would strike next. 

Rhodey knew enough about this alien to know that her threats were very real. They had already wasted one day bickering. He didn’t want to waste another before they started finding innocent victims dead in the streets. There had to be _something_ they could do. 

They just hadn’t thought of it yet.  
____________________  
Tony opened his eyes to find the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. 

Peter was curled up against him, his head nuzzling into his chest. His hands were clutching to Tony’s shirt and their legs were intertwined in a tangled mess. Peter’s soft curls were tickling his chin, making him smile. He carefully moved the arm that he had wrapped around Peter’s waist to the top of his head and softly ran his fingers through his hair, causing Peter to press more firmly against him in his sleep. 

He refused to let Peter use the Infinity shards. He didn’t care that _technically_ Peter was stronger than him and had a better chance of surviving. Tony knew the risks and he was not willing to let Peter take them. It was always him from the beginning that would be using the shards if it came down to it. He had accepted his fate. He had had a better life than he probably deserved and he could die knowing that Pepper would take care of Morgan. 

But Peter was still a _kid_. He shouldn’t be risking his life when there was so much more of it to live. Go to college, fall in love, have a family and all of that. If Peter died… Tony didn’t know how he could survive that again. He didn’t want to try. 

He was determined to see Peter live. He didn’t care what happened to him. Tony would call Fury at the first chance he got. They could figure something out. Maybe send Peter far away. To one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. safehouses in Europe… Peter told him once that he had always wanted to see the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland… 

His heart was pounding loudly in his ears and he was surprised that it had not woken Peter yet, but he was grateful. Last night, Tony was so tempted to just say ‘fuck it’ and take what he had been wanting for so long. But he knew that Peter hardly slept at all and when he did, he dreamed of that purple bastard turning him to dust. So, Tony had kept his hands off of Peter last night so that they could _both_ get the sleep they desperately needed. And it worked.

It was the first night in _years_ that he had actually slept without any memories haunting his subconscious. He had a feeling that that was due to the person curling around him, who was now beginning to move. 

Tony watched with amusement as Peter opened his eyes and suddenly realized where he was and who he was with. When their eyes met and Tony gave him a lazy smile, Peter immediately made to move back which Tony could not have. He moved his arm back down to Peter’s waist possessively, and held Peter to him. 

“M-Mr. Stark, I’m so s-sorry,” Peter stumbled through an apology much to Tony’s enjoyment. “I d-didn’t mean to. I c-can go back. To my r-room.”

When he tried again to leave, Tony only pulled him closer. “I like you right here,” he whispered into Peter’s ear. He didn’t need to look to know that Peter’s face was turning a bright shade of crimson. 

They stayed that way, tangled up in each other, both enjoying the peace of the morning. That is, until Peter effectively ended it by saying, “S-So… should we. Um… g-get up. Go h-help the others?”

Tony knew what Peter was silently asking and he sighed. “You’re still not doing it.”

“B-But-”

“Listen,” he said, cutting Peter off. “It is too early and I haven’t had a single cup of coffee yet to be having this conversation with you.”

“B-But-”

Doing the only thing he could think of in that moment, Tony leaned down and pressed his lips to Peter’s forehead who immediately stopped talking, his entire body growing tense. Tony chuckled and made a mental note that kissing Peter was the best way to get to him close his adorable mouth that never ceased to talk. But his laughter soon died out when he felt something hard pressing against his lower abdomen. 

Tony pulled back only far enough that he could see Peter’s burning face and raised an eyebrow. It was meant to be teasing, but Peter rapidly began to apologize, which he put a stop to by lifting Peter’s head up to his and kissing him.

It was meant to be short. Just a smell peck on the lips. But Tony was an addict and Peter was his drug. 

Their kiss deepened as Tony felt arms wrap around his neck and hands trying to tug his head closer, which Tony eagerly obliged. He thrust his tongue inside Peter’s mouth, obsessed with the taste. He didn’t think he could ever get enough.

Tony allowed his lips to venture down Peter’s jaw and up towards his ear. He nipped lightly on the lobe and loved the gasp he was rewarded with. When his lips travelled to Peter’s neck, he smiled against the soft skin when whimpers resounded throughout the room.

“P-Please… Please, s-sir. I-I need...”

“Already, huh,” Tony huffed. 

“S-Sorry, I-”

Tony chuckled because of course Peter would apologize for that. “Don’t,” he whispered. “You’re perfect.” And he watched with rapt attention as Peter shuddered from his words.

He knew that Peter was sensitive and inexperienced and nothing like any of his previous ventures who had been before him. He fully anticipated taking advantage of Peter’s heightened senses in the future. He just never knew how much that would turn him on.

So when Peter began to whimper and beg for his release, Tony could feel the growing pressure in his own pants, but he ignored it. For once, he had no interest in himself. His entire focus was on Peter. But he could never have anticipated what happened next.

Before he could question what Peter was doing, he was being turned onto his back and Peter was climbing on top of him, his legs straddling Tony’s hips. He stared in amazement as Peter did something he never would have dreamed him doing.

Peter _rut_ against him, their erections pressing against each other with a delicious pressure and a glorious drag of friction that made Tony groan. 

“F-Fuck, Peter.” His voice was broken and rugged, but he didn’t care. He placed his hands on Peter’s hips, urging him on.

“M-Mr. Stark… _please_. I-I need…”

“I know what you need,” Tony whispered hoarsely, his hand moving to the hem of Peter’s shirt and slowly travelling underneath the fabric. His rough, callused hand slid over delicate, sensitive skin and he revelled in the sounds Peter let slip past his lips.

His hand moved further up Peter’s body, memorizing the lean muscle and soft skin that was now all his. He wanted to kiss and taste every inch that he felt, but there would be time for that later when the universe wasn’t being threatened. Right now, he only cared about getting Peter off. 

He sat up, adjusting their position so that Peter was now in his lap, his legs still straddling Tony’s hips and his hand still caressing Peter’s skin underneath his shirt. Peter was practically gasping for air when Tony leaned in and pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the side of his neck.

He knew Peter was close. He knew that all he had to do was say the words and Peter would fall apart in his arms. And as much as he wanted to drag this out, his self-control was hanging by a thread. If they went on any longer, he might go farther than what Peter was comfortable with. So instead of ripping off Peter’s shirt or his own clothing so that he could finally get the skin-to-skin contact he has been wanting this entire time, he leaned into Peter’s ear and groaned, “Come for me.” Then Tony’s hand brushed against his nipple and Peter came undone.

Tony committed to memory the sight of Peter’s face, knowing with great satisfaction that he had been the one to do that. No one else.

Tony continued to caress his fingers across Peter’s body as he rode out his pleasure, only stopping when Peter began to whine from the overstimulation. 

Peter collapsed against him and he ran his fingers through his hair. Tony closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, his arousal slowly fading. 

They stayed like that until Peter slowly lifted his head from Tony’s shoulders, his cheeks still flushed. “I-I should probably um… I’m g-gonna go use the b-bathroom. 

Tony nodded, letting Peter slide off of his lap and pad softly out of the bedroom and down the hall. Tony remained in place until he heard a door shut and the sound of running water soon follow before dashing out of the bed and grabbing his phone. It was ringing within seconds.  
____________________  
Peter was flying high on a cloud of ecstasy. His entire body was trembling and there seemed to be a permanent smile tugging at his lips that he just couldn’t get rid of, not that he even wanted to. 

That was the hardest he had ever come in his life and the evidence was still in his boxers that he had thrown haphazardly onto the floor of Mr. Stark’s bathroom. He couldn’t believe that he just did that. _With Mr. Stark_.

Hands still shaking, he turned on the faucet and splashed some water on his face in an attempt to cool his flaming cheeks. Of course it didn’t help, but it still felt nice to rinse the sweat from his body. 

Once he was as clean as he was going to get without taking an actual shower, he was faced with a different problem. He glanced at his discarded clothes on the floor, rumpled and stained. He really didn’t want to put those back on again. Peter glanced at the closet connected to the bathroom and bit his lip, an idea coming to mind. 

“FRIDAY,” he called out hesitantly.

Not one second later, the AI was responding with a pleasant hello and then, “What can I do for you, Peter?”

“Um,” he swallowed nervously, “C-Could you show me where Mr. Stark keeps his… shirts?”

“Certainly. Third drawer down in the closet to your right, you will find Tony’s favorite t-shirts.”

Peter did as instructed, opening the door and finding a dresser inside. He hesitantly opened the third drawer and grabbed a random shirt, slipping it on and allowing the distinct smell of Mr. Stark to wash over him. Leather and citrus. He inhaled deeply before glancing at the dampened boxers on the floor. He grimaced at the thought of having to wear those until he managed to go back home.

“Tony keeps his underwear in the first drawer.”

Peter’s face was on fire as he mumbled, “O-Oh, uh… t-thanks, FRIDAY.”

“Of course. Your comfort is important to me as it is to Tony.”

He bit his lip as he opened the top drawer, taking the first pair of boxers he saw and putting those on as well. He thought about grabbing a pair of pants, but didn’t want to take any more of Mr. Stark’s clothing. He didn’t know what they were at the moment, but he didn’t want to push it.

He stepped out of the bathroom dressed only in Mr. Stark’s boxers and a t-shirt that was much too large for his smaller frame. His body had stopped shaking and he was able to walk down the hall without fear of falling.

Peter was about to enter Mr. Stark’s bedroom when he heard… Nick Fury? 

Pressing himself against the wall to ensure that he remained hidden, he listened to the voices coming from behind the door. Mr. Stark was the first one to speak.

“...told you that he was staying out of it.”

“Agent Rhodes informed me that the kid wanted to do it.” That was Mr. Fury. 

_The kid_. Were they talking about him? Peter leaned closer to the door.

“I thought we agreed that it was going to be me.”

“Stark. I needed you back on the field, so I gave you a little push.”

Peter heard Mr. Stark chuckle darkly, no humor in the menacing sound. “This entire time you knew I wasn’t going to use them.” 

Mr. Fury remained silent. It was answer enough.

Peter imagined Mr. Stark running his hands through his hair and pacing the room in frustration. “So what? Peter plays sacrificial lamb while I sit back and watch,” Mr. Stark growls, causing Peter to shudder. He didn’t think he had ever heard Mr. Stark sound like that before. Rage, frustration. Fear.

“The kid will survive,” Mr. Fury paused and Peter leaned in with bated breath. “I told you that the world still needs Iron Man. That hasn’t changed and I can’t have you dying.”

“But Peter can,” Mr. Stark said indignantly. “The world doesn’t need him?”

Peter heard Mr. Fury sigh, exasperated. “Stark, I have more important things to do when an alien is planning to destroy the universe. The kid is using the Infinity shards.”

Mr. Stark began to object, but Peter was no longer paying attention. He was piecing together the entire conversation.

_I thought we agreed it was going to be me_.

Something clicked inside his mind. The past couple of weeks… Mr. Stark had been lying to him. 

He was planning on using the Infinity shards. And he wasn’t planning on coming back.

He felt numb, as though his entire body had gone on autopilot while his mind took the time to process what he had just discovered. He watched as his feet moved him to the door and his hand pushed it open. He watched as his legs carried him across the room. He stopped when Mr. Stark saw him, eyes wide as he dropped the phone onto the floor.

“Peter, I…” Mr. Stark began, but he didn’t finish. 

“You knew,” Peter whispered, but the words felt loud to his own ears. “All along you knew that you were going to die.”

“Peter,” Mr. Stark tried to explain, but Peter didn’t want to listen. He didn’t trust that whatever came out of the man’s mouth wouldn’t be a lie.

“So everything you said. Everything you _did_...” Memories flashed across Peter’s mind. Of Mr. Stark’s words that filled him with warmth. Kisses that made his toes curl. Gestures of kindness that had him believing for just _one moment_ that Mr. Stark actually felt something towards him. “It was all a lie.”

He could feel his eyes welling with tears, but he didn’t bother wiping them away as he watched Mr. Stark shake his head. “No. That’s not-I didn’t. Peter, I-”

“What was the point of any of this? Why did you let me believe that we could have-”

But how could he have finished that question? What did he honestly think would happen between them? Did Peter really believe that anything would come out of this? That he and Mr. Stark would have a relationship?

And the answer was yes. For one small moment in time, Peter believed that there was a chance for them to be more. Because he was ignorant. And a child. Just like Mr. Stark had said. 

“I trusted you.” Tears were streaming freely down his face. “I thought that you-that you cared for me. That you lo-” Peter stopped himself from saying something that he would very much regret, but his heart was already broken. And only a dark hole remained. 

His voice was bitter when he spoke. “But you just saw me as a way to pass the time until you died.”

“No.” Mr. Stark was practically begging him. Almost on his knees, reaching out for him. “Kid-I didn’t. I wasn’t thinking. I-”

But Peter was done listening. He turned around, ready to go back to the bathroom and rip off these clothes that now felt hot and itchy against his skin, but Mr. Stark lunged out and placed a hand on his wrist which Peter immediately ripped away. “Don’t touch me,” he hissed. 

He didn’t want to feel Mr. Stark’s rough, calloused hands against his skin. It only served as a reminder of his ignorance and stupidity for believing that Mr. Stark could actually care for him. All Peter was was a source of amusement and entertainment for Mr. Stark until he died.

He walked into the bathroom, slamming the door shut and tearing off the clothes, the leather and citrus scent now burning his nostrils. When he slipped on his boxers, he scowled in disgust at the tackiness he felt. How could he have been so stupid?

He shoved his own clothes back on and walked out of the bathroom, not sparing a second glance to Mr. Stark who had remained frozen in the hallway. 

He entered the elevator, pressing the button for the lobby floor. And only when the doors closed with a soft _click_ did he allow himself to collapse as he breathed in ragged, gasping breaths.  
____________________  
“I’ll do it,” he declared to the room. 

He was met with startled faces and raised eyebrows as everyone looked at him with concern in their expressions.

Peter knew that he must look like a mess. He had used the small amount of money he did have in the pocket of his pants to take a taxi to S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, not that the driver knew what the building was when they pulled in front of it. 

Peter had felt tears streaming down his face as he stared out at the city passing his window the entire ride there. His eyes were more than likely rimmed with red and his hair was probably sticking up in every direction, but he didn’t care.

He just needed to do something, _anything_ to take his mind off of the fact that his heart had just been obliterated by Mr. Stark. 

Peter wanted to prove that he was as much of an Avenger as the others. That he shouldn’t be treated like a child who had no business meddling in things that he didn’t understand. That Mr. Stark was wrong for ever doubting him. 

“Peter.” He looked to Wanda who was studying his disheveled appearance up and down, worry clouding her eyes. “Are you… alright?”

He nodded, trying his best to look convincing. He didn’t want anyone asking questions that he couldn’t answer. “Fine.” _Not good enough_. “Great.” _Too much_. “I-I’m good.”

Peter winced as Wanda narrowed her eyes, but said nothing more. “So, uh,” he cleared his throat. “W-What’s the plan?”

Everyone exchanged looks with each other before Rhodey said, “Peter, you’re sure you want to do this?”

“Yes.” He needed to prove to himself and to Mr. Stark that he wasn’t a child. And there was no way he was going to let the entire universe die.

“Well, the plan is pretty simple,” Sam said. “Once the shards leave this building, Morana is going to know where they are and she’s going to come for them. But we have to lead her away from the city. It’s too populated and I don’t want any civilian casualties.”

Peter nodded along.

“When we’re far enough out, we’ll keep her distracted while you use the shards to destroy her.”

“Okay,” Peter said. “How do I hold the shards without them killing me?”

Bruce cleared his throat. “I made a few modifications to your suit. It should be able to withstand the shards’ power.” 

At the stares Bruce received from the others he said, “What? Tony’s not the only one who can fix a suit.”

Ignoring the comment, Sam walked up to Peter and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry you have to do this, Peter. But you know we wouldn’t have asked you if we had any other options. It’s just that you’re the only one who can get close enough to Morana.”

“What,” Peter scrunched his brow in confusion. “Why am I the only one who can get close enough?”

“Because you’re the one she wants,” Clint said.

“H-Huh?”

Sam looked away, uncomfortable with saying the words. Everyone else became suddenly fixated with a corner of the room. Everyone except Thor, whose voice seemed deafening in the silence. “It would seem that Stark loves you the most, young Peter Parker.”

Peter shook his head. “W-What? No. N-No. That’s not. He doesn’t-”

That was impossible. There was no way that Mr. Stark loved _him_. He loved Pepper the most. Not him. Not after what he had done to Peter. No. 

No.

No.

_No_.

Rhodey watched as Peter debated with himself. The rest of the Avengers saw Tony’s love for the kid as the fatherly kind, but Rhodey knew the truth. And although he couldn’t say that this kind of relationship was _good_ for either of them, he had seen the way Tony stares at Peter when he thought no one was watching. 

“Peter,” he said softly, halting the kid’s progressive downward spiral. “It’s true.”

Peter stared helplessly at Rhodey. He opened his mouth, wanting to deny it, but found he couldn’t form the words. In the depths of his shattered heart, he felt a small flicker. Hope. 

He tried to squash it before it could take hold of him because he had been down this road before. It only ended with pain and tears. And the last thing he wanted or needed was more of that. So, he tried. Really he did. But there it was again. Hope. 

“You alright, kid?”

Rhodey was looking at him with concern, along with everyone else and he suddenly felt claustrophobic, like the room was closing in on him and he couldn’t breathe. He told himself that he was being ridiculous, that this was all in his head, but the longer he stared at the walls, the more convinced he was that they were moving. 

“Y-Yeah,” he said, his voice shaking. “Y-Yeah, I’m good.” His lie didn’t sound very convincing. He cleared his throat, “S-So, um… w-when are we g-going?”

“As soon as Stark drags himself here,” Bucky mumbled, not at all amused with the billionaire’s ‘fashionably late’ routine.

Peter’s eyes widened. “M-Mr. Stark’s coming?” 

“If he ever shows up.”

_Oh, no_. Oh no oh no oh no. Mr. Stark can not be here. Not now. Peter didn’t want to face him. Not when he just discovered that Mr. Stark loved him-however unlikely that was. After he told Mr. Stark to stay away from him. After Mr. Stark had given him the most intense orgasm of his life-

Peter’s thoughts were interrupted when his spidey sense kicked in. They alerted him to footsteps coming down the hallway, heading towards them. Peter tensed, his entire body going rigid when he recognized the footsteps. He knew who was about to walk through that door in three, two, one…

“Of course I’m here, Barnes,” Mr. Stark said, his nanoparticle housing unit glowing softly from underneath his sweatshirt. “And I am touched that you would wait for me.”

Peter didn’t turn to see Bucky scoff. His entire focus was on Mr. Stark. On what he would do or say. Peter had told him to stay away. To never touch him again. Mr. Stark had to be furious. But Peter saw nothing out of the ordinary. 

Sensing his gaze, Mr. Stark slowly turned to him and their eyes collided. Peter sucked in a breath.  
____________________  
He stood frozen. Standing in the hallway. Watching as Peter left him, telling him to stay away. He wasn’t sure how long he stood there after he heard the elevator doors close, signaling that Peter was moving further and further from him. It could have been seconds. It could have been hours. 

The only thing he could seem to think of was how much he fucked up. 

How could he have been so goddamn stupid? Did he think that Peter would never have found out? Did he think that they could have kept going on like that until he just one day disappeared and Peter never saw him again?

He inwardly cursed himself. How did he let things get this out of hand? He should have told Peter everything from the beginning. If he had, maybe they wouldn’t have been in this position in the first place. Or maybe they would’ve. Tony didn’t know anymore. 

But the one thing he did know was that Peter wasn’t going to die again. Tony could live with himself if he and Peter weren’t together, but he refused to live in a world that did not have Peter Parker in it.

Tony forced his feet to move. He raced back to his bedroom, purposefully avoiding the bed with its discarded pillows and tangled sheets. He didn’t need the reminder of what he almost had. Instead, Tony walked up to the wall and placed his hand on a hidden biometric scanner. After his identity was confirmed, a small section of the wall opened revealing a compartment he used to store his nanoparticle housing unit. 

He placed it on the center of his chest before telling FRIDAY to call Happy. He needed to get to S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. 

Peter had every right to be mad at him, but if he thought that Mr. Stark wouldn’t protect him just because Peter told him to stay away, Peter really didn’t know him at all.

He would always protect Peter. No matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as I said, the end notes are really important this time! We are approaching the end of this story (there are only a few chapters left!!!) and I have been having a few really cool ideas for a sequel or even a possible trilogy! Of course I can't really tell you guys what the plot will be because I don't want to spoil the ending of this book! But I would like to know everyone's opinions on this. I want to know if you guys want to see a sequel to this story or not! It will still focus on Peter and Tony, obviously, and I will probably be introducing a few new characters along with it! I have been searching other fanfiction sites and can guarantee that the idea I have for this sequel is one of a kind! Nobody has written anything like it! 
> 
> So long story short, please leave comments on this chapter telling me if you guys want a sequel or not! Can't wait to hear what everyone thinks! Until next time!


	12. Because I Love You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg!! I am so so sorry to all of you who have been patiently awaiting this chapter!! Time got away from me, but I am back and I have exciting news! Because all of you were so excited about a possible sequel, it is happening!!! This is the last chapter of my first story and to all of you who want to continue reading the series, the next story will be called “Don’t Leave Me Alone”! I expect to have the first chapter out before July 4th! I hope you enjoy this last chapter and as always, please leaves kudos/comments!! Oh, by the way, there is a bit more language in this chapter and there is a flashback and that will all be italicized!

Peter’s entire body was vibrating with nervous energy. He stared with wide eyes at Mr. Stark, not knowing how he should feel in that moment. Anger that the man hadn’t left him alone? Hope that he didn’t? At what that could still mean for them?

“W-What,” he paused, trying to gather his scattered thoughts. “What are you doing h-here?” He hated how his voice rose several octaves higher when Mr. Stark turned to him and flashed an award-winning smirk that made millions before him swoon. 

“You didn’t think I’d miss this party, did you?”

Peter remained silent and his brow furrowed as he examined Mr. Stark’s face carefully, searching for any signs of their previous encounter. But the man had spent his entire life under scrutinizing eyes and Peter only saw a carefully neutral expression.

He wanted to confront Mr. Stark. Ask him if what the others said was true. It seemed unlikely that a playboy billionaire philanthropist who also happened to be Iron Man could love him-a poor kid from Queens who got bit by a spider purely by chance. But there was a part of Peter that wanted to believe it desperately and he needed to know. He just couldn’t ask in front of everyone else. 

Peter pressed his lips firmly together as Sam spoke up, “Now that everyone’s here, let’s get going. Tony, you know what the plan is?”

Mr. Stark waved his hand dismissively. “Of course. Don’t I always?”

“And… you’re okay with it,” Rhodey asked, raising an eyebrow in skepticism. He was surprised that his best friend would suddenly accept the plan they were proposing.

Peter looked to Mr. Stark who still had an air of indifference surrounding him. The man’s response of “Why wouldn’t I be?” made Peter deflate slightly. That didn’t sound like Mr. Stark cared about him. 

But… hadn’t the man spent the past several weeks lying to Peter to keep him out of this? Hadn’t they had several arguments about him using the Infinity shards? Surely Mr. Stark would never agree to this-not when he spent so much time trying to prevent this exact outcome. 

“Let us be off then,” Thor proclaimed, lifting Stormbreaker into the sky and effectively ending Peter’s train of thought. “We have an alien to defeat.”

Peter waited anxiously as the others left the room, Rhodey and Dr. Banner being the last ones to leave. He reached out and grabbed their arms, stopping them from leaving. Peter looked pleadingly at the two older men. “I need your help.” Because if there was anybody that could, it would be the people who knew Tony Stark best.

They must have seen the urgency and desperation in his features. The two glanced at each other before nodding. “What do you need?”  
_____________________  
They were flying through the city-well, the ones that _could_ fly at least. Peter swung from building to building, allowing his webs to propel him forward, faster and faster. As soon as they had stepped outside S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Fury had spoken in their ears that there was a strong energy signal following them and it was moving fast. The race was on. They had to get as far away as possible from the city to avoid any casualties. 

Peter shot another web at a skyscraper, flinging himself through the air in a graceful sweep. He glanced upwards to see that Falcon, War Machine and Iron Man were pushing their thrusters harder, nearing maximum capacity. Thor and the Scarlet Witch weren’t far behind, with him using his Stormbreaker to hurl him forwards and she coaxing her red energy to carry her in the air. 

Peter could hear the faint thrumming above him from a jet they had borrowed from Mr. Fury. He knew that the flightless Avengers-Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, and the Hulk-were inside, prepping themselves for a battle that none of them wanted, but were forced to engage in to save the universe-yet again. 

He also knew that on that aircraft, laid an empty storage container where the Infinity shards were supposed to be.

He took a deep breath, calming his unsettled nerves. He was about to use the most powerful weapons the universe had ever known and there was a distinct likelihood that he would be killed. But his imminent demise wasn’t the cause of his growing anxiety. 

He was worried that if he failed, what would happen to the beings he had come to call his family? He had one chance to use the shards and destroy Morana. If he screwed up, it was over. Everyone would die. Mr. Stark would die. Peter refused to let that happen. Whatever they were right now, Peter still lo-

“Watch out!”

He was dragged from his spiraling thoughts at the call, his spidey senses kicking in. Peter acted purely on instinct and shot a web to the right, narrowly evading the dark energy pulse that sped past him. He could feel the searing heat even through the heavy protection of the Iron Spider suit and knew that if the blast was to hit him directly, it would burn straight through the armor. He shuddered.

“Kid, you alright?” He didn’t need to look to know that Mr. Stark was flying towards him. Under normal circumstances, he would have rolled his eyes in exasperation at the old nickname, but he disregarded it for the moment. He sensed that something was coming. Something powerful. 

As though reading his mind, “She’s catching up. She’ll be on you in thirty seconds,” Fury said through the comms in their suits. “Don’t let her walk away from this.”

Peter nodded, even though he knew that Fury couldn’t see him. He just felt he needed to do it to reassure himself. Especially now that he could see a dark mass heading straight towards them, dark energy waves radiating outwards. He swallowed. 

Peter could sense the others readying themselves as their normal eyesight picked up on the fast-approaching enemy. They were on the very outskirts of the city, far enough away from any civilians. It was now or never. 

“Remember Peter,” he heard Sam speak into his ear. “Do not engage. Wait for her to be distracted and then use the shards. Grab them from the jet, but _don’t_ touch them directly.”

He sucked in a nervous breath of air as he lowered himself to the ground. The jet descended as well along with the other Avengers. They all took their stances and Peter slipped towards the back, waiting until the exact moment to strike.

They watched with anticipation as the dark mass grew closer and closer until they could make out the figure of Morana. Peter’s heart squeezed painfully in his chest as he watched her slow and come to a stop, floating a few feet above their heads, smiling down at them with a menacing grin. 

He didn’t think he was breathing when her eyes landed on him and paused briefly with a smirk on her lips before flickering over the others. “I must say, I am surprised that you all came to watch one of your own die.”

Peter tried to swallow the lump in his throat as the others took a step forward. Wanda slid next to him, her red energy pulsing with every breath. He would have smiled at her protectiveness over him if it weren’t for the serious situation they were in. 

“You are not laying a _fucking_ finger on him,” Mr. Stark growled as he activated his cluster cannons on the new Mark 86. 

Morana did not even flinch as the powerful weapon was aimed directly at her head. “Please,” she said exasperatedly, rolling her eyes. With a flick of her hand, the Avengers stared in shock as Mr. Stark was sent careening backwards several yards and hit the ground with a loud thud. The alien had not touched him.

Peter wanted to run to the man, ask if he was okay. But his senses were telling him not to turn his back to the opponent they were facing. 

Then, faster than Peter could comprehend, Thor lunged, letting out a battle cry as he swung Stormbreaker, aiming directly for Morana’s head who stood unmoving and smiled, as though she were amused at the attack. Peter’s enhanced vision couldn’t even see the blade that she had extended at the last second and blocked the strike, sending Thor staggering backwards from the brute force of the blow.

“And you call yourself the God of Thunder,” Morana scoffed. 

With two of their teammates down, Peter glanced around quickly at the ones left standing, shifting nervously in his fighting stance. They all looked at Falcon, who nodded ever so slightly. The battle had begun.  
____________________  
Tony let out a small groan as he rolled over onto his side, attempting to stand while his body protested against the movement. Fuck. 

He was feeling a serious sense of deja vu as he laid there on the ground, watching his teammates attempt to battle a genocidal alien who was shooting out dark energy pulses from the tips of her fingers. The movements were too fast for his fuzzy vision to monitor. It felt as though there was cotton inside his head and he shook it to try and clear his mind. He had to concentrate. He had to focus. 

Tony could see Peter fighting in the chaotic mess. He could hear the grunts and shouts from his teammates as they battled. He grit his teeth and forced himself to get up, ignoring the warnings FRIDAY was blasting in his ear about his possible concussion and bruising of his ribs. He had more important things to worry about than the pounding in his head.

He engaged his thrusters-still not fully trusting himself to stand on his own-and flew into the sky. Before he dove into the battle, he hovered in the air and surveyed the situation below him. 

The Avengers were not pulling their punches by any means. They were on the very outskirts of the city and the damage they caused would be far enough away from any curious civilians who had a death wish.

Scanning the fight, it seemed Bucky and Banner were taking the same approach. Both the Hulk and the Winter Soldier were using their fists and trying to land any hits they could. But the alien, Morana-Tony rolled his eyes at the ridiculous name-was evading every metal arm and giant, green fist that hurtled in her direction. 

Sam and Rhodey were in the sky, circling the alien and bombing her with every weapon in their arsenal with little to show for. Every repulsor ray, sonic generator, and machine gun that was fired at the woman seemed to have as much affect on her as a bug bite. 

Clint kept his distance, firing arrow after arrow with as much success as Falcon and War Machine. In all honesty, Morana was doing more damage to the arrows. Every time a metal projectile hit her skin, the head of the weapon was blunted and bounced off of her to land hopelessly on the ground. 

Tony watched anxiously whenever Peter got too close to the fight. Thankfully, the kid was doing what he was told for once in his goddamn life and he was staying in the background. Peter had to wait for a clear shot when Morana was completely immobilized to use the Infinity shards. Tony thanked whatever god was out there that that moment hadn’t come yet. He had a plan to ensure Peter survived. He just needed more time. 

He glanced over to the jet that held the Infinity shards inside before quickly flicking his eyes back to the fight below him. 

The only one who seemed to be a match for the alien was Wanda, and Tony supposed that their power was similar in most aspects. From what he understood about Wanda’s freaky powers, she was able to manipulate energy around her and use it in sequences of attacks. Based on what little he saw of this genocidal alien’s power, hers was similar to that of the Scarlet Witch’s. 

It seemed Wanda was the only one who could actually injure Morana and the other Avengers had begun to take notice as well. The fight became primarily centered between the two energy manipulators as everyone else backed up, only stepping in when Wanda seemed to be struggling. 

It was a clash between red and black energy pulses as the two women battled for supremacy. Morana let out a harsh, derisive chuckle when she realized that she was evenly matched. “Finally,” she said, firing another bolt of dark energy towards Wanda who blocked the attack with a shield of red energy before firing her own bolt. “Someone who knows how to have a little fun.”

The Scarlet Witch ignored the comment in favor of sending a large torrent of energy at Morana. Tony could see from his viewpoint the bead of sweat trickling down his teammate’s forehead. He could see the exhaustion in the trembling of her fingertips. He wanted to tell her that there was no use in continuing to fight, but he paused. 

With Morana distracted, he had a perfect opportunity to grab the Infinity shards from their containment unit on the jet. The other Avengers, including Peter, were too busy watching the vicious battle with wide eyes to notice if Tony happened to disappear for thirty seconds.

He wasted no more time and quickly lurched towards the jet. Thankfully, no S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were on board. Fury didn’t want any of them to become involved in this fight for the universe-they would be hopelessly out-gunned in this match. 

His eyes landed on the small, silver sphere laying on one of the seats inside the aircraft. Without hesitating, he snatched the container and made a quick exit before any of the others could notice his absence. But once he stepped back outside, it seemed that his concerns were needless.

The fight had ended. Wanda was collapsed on her knees in the dirt, her breath coming out in ragged, shallow pants and Tony could see the blood trickling from her nose. He wasn’t exactly a doctor, but he knew that that wasn’t a good sign. 

The other Avengers were tensed, prepared to fight to the last one standing if it meant stopping this alien from destroying the universe, but Tony knew a lost cause when he saw one. They had already tried and failed. The only one who stood a chance of beating Morana was keeled over on the ground and didn’t seem to be getting up any time soon. 

Tony knew what he had to do. He had suspected for a while that his second chance at life would be short, ever since Fury showed him those damn shards. 

He looked down at the small sphere in his hand. 

“Isn’t this lovely,” a bone chilling voice called out across the field. “All of you willing to lay down your life for the sake of the universe.”

Morana shook her head in mock pity. “Such a waste.”

Nobody responded, not allowing themselves to be bated and her expression visibly soured. “Give me the shards.”

Tony clenched the sphere tighter. He would give them to her all right. 

He opened his mouth to say something along the lines of “go to hell”, but was stopped when Peter said, “ _No_.”

Any other time Tony would have been proud of Peter for standing up to the big, bad bully, but this particular one was extremely dangerous and powerful and was currently threatening Peter’s life and the universe. He wanted to yell at Peter to shut up, but he didn’t want to draw attention to himself and the very powerful object he held in his hand.

“Oh,” Morana lifted her eyebrows in faux surprise. “Little Peter Parker is telling me ‘no’?”

Tony did not like that tone of voice _at all_ and his years of experience dealing with crazy people told him that bad things were about to unfold. His heart was pounding rapidly in his ears and his body tensed, readying himself to act fast.

“I’m not little,” Peter said, his fists clenched. “And you’re not getting the shards.” 

Tony silently begged the kid to be quiet for once in his goddamn life. He had to stop talking. _Right now_.

He primed his repulsor cannons as the tension grew across the field. He could sense the other Avengers readying their various weapons as well. He anxiously tracked every breath that the alien took as he waited for her to make a move. 

“This is your last chance,” she warned them as her eyes landed on his own. “Give me the Infinity shards or watch as your beloved teammate dies by my hand.”

The only answer Tony gave was the sound of his repulsor cannons charging to fire. 

Morana shrugged, uncaring, and that was the only indication they received before faster than any of them could track, she lunged forward, grabbed Peter, and extended a blade to his neck. 

Tony stopped breathing, his terrified eyes locked onto the dangerous dagger that was slicing through the Iron Spider suit as though it were paper. He immediately powered down his repulsor cannons and the others followed suit, not willing to risk the life of one of their own.

He was sure that his heart had ceased to beat, his blood no longer traveling throughout his body. His mind had gone blank, no longer able to function properly and form a cohesive thought. Except.

The one thing that he could not live without was millimeters away from death. And he refused, _refused_ , to let that happen.

Peter was everything. Every goddamn thing. Every smile. Every laugh. Every touch. Every single fucking moment. 

All of it was Peter. 

And Tony would gladly die again so that Peter could live.

“Take your hands off of him,” he growled. 

Tony could tell that the other Avengers were questioning what he was doing, but he didn’t care. A small line of blood was trickling from underneath the blade and Tony couldn’t see anything past the dark fluid dripping down the front of the Iron Spider suit. 

That alien bitch had the balls to laugh at him. “Stark,” she said with mock sympathy. “I told you what would happen if you didn’t give me the shards.”

“M-Mr. Stark, don’t. I-”

But Peter couldn’t finish because Morana only pressed the dagger harder into his skin, more blood seeping out of the cut and Peter let out a quiet whimper. Tony clenched tightly around the silver sphere in his hand at that small noise of pain. 

He watched with gritted teeth as Morana leaned in and whispered in Peter’s ear, “Say goodbye to your precious Tony Stark.”

He could tell that Peter was about to protest, even with the threat of his life dangling in the air, but Tony spoke up first, effectively cutting Peter off. “She’s right,” he sighed as he opened the silver sphere. “This is goodbye for now, kid.”

He could hear the alarm in Peter’s voice as he said, “M-Mr. Stark? W-What are you-?”

But Tony was no longer paying attention to him. He reached his hand inside the containment unit, bracing himself for the excruciating pain that would be radiating throughout his body. 

In the mere milliseconds he had left of his life, he reflected on all of the things that he had done. Everything he had accomplished. 

He had made a name for himself outside of his father’s image. He had created a company that made him billions. He invented technology that allowed him to become Iron Man. He had saved the world several times over. He had started a family. 

But all of this didn’t feel like accomplishments. His family was broken. His company wasn’t even his anymore. Iron Man wasn’t saving anyone. And the universe was in greater danger now than it had ever been before. 

So, really? What did he achieve in his life? But the answer was pretty clear as he glanced in front of him. 

Peter. Peter was his greatest achievement. His legacy. His everything.

Tony remembered the first time that they had met. The stumbling boy who looked at him with wide, innocent eyes and smiled the most dazzling smile he had ever seen. Tony had known from the beginning that Peter was special. He just didn’t know how much until here they stood, seven years later, and Tony could finally admit to himself that he was in love with Peter Parker.

He only wished that he had the time to say it because the pain would be hitting him, followed by his death in three, two, one…  
____________________  
_Peter reached out and grabbed their arms, stopping them from leaving. He looked pleadingly at the two older men. “I need your help.”_

_Rhodey and Dr. Banner glanced at each other, wariness in their expressions before turning to him and asking. “What do you need?”_

_Peter bit his lip, uncertain of how he should phrase this. “Mr. Stark,” he paused, gathering his thoughts. “I… I don’t think that he agrees with this plan.”_

_The two older men exchanged another look, filled with hidden meanings that Peter couldn’t hope to understand, before Dr. Banner asked, not unkindly, “What makes you say that?”_

_”Well,” he started, scratching the back of his head nervously. “M-Mr. Stark has been… protecting me. K-Keeping me away from this. I d-don't think that he would suddenly go along with the idea of me using the shards.”_

_Rhodey scrubbed his hands over his face. “I’ve been wondering about that, too.” He looked to Dr.Banner. “Do you think he’s planning something?”_

_Bruce rolled his eyes. “He’s Tony. Of course he’s planning something.”_

_“I-I overheard Mr. Fury and Mr. Stark on the phone,” Peter said, a blush rising on his cheeks at having admitted that he was eavesdropping on a very much private conversation. “Mr. Stark said that h-he intended on using the Infinity shards all along.”_

_Rhodey threw his hands up in the air. “Of course he was,” he vented in frustration._

_“D-Do you think he could be planning on using the shards instead of me,” Peter asked earnestly, fidgeting with his hands._

_Dr. Banner crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s a distinct possibility.”_

_“What are we going to do?” Peter wasn’t about to let Mr. Stark use the Infinity shards instead of him. The man would get himself killed._

_Dr. Banner lifted his head from seemingly deep in concentration. “I think I have an idea.” He looked to Peter. “But I would have to make some modifications to your suit.”_

_His answer was instantaneous. “Do it.”_

Peter watched with an aching heart as Mr. Stark reached his hand inside the silver sphere, only to find it completely empty, just as Peter knew it would be. 

He closed his eyes when the blade dug deeper into the skin at his neck as Morana let out a bitter chuckle. “Did you think a metal ball was going to stop me, Stark? You’re more pathetic than I thought.”

Mr. Stark retracted the face plate, staring at him with wide eyes and Peter almost wished he wasn’t able to see the older man’s face because Peter saw something he didn’t ever hope to see again: Fear. The same blind terror that was on Mr. Stark’s face that day five years ago when he turned to dust. 

“Kid, what did you do?”

He couldn’t answer. Morana was distracted with her callous laughter and this was the chance he had been waiting for. He was close enough. 

He slowly raised his hand. 

The intuitive suit knew what he wanted to do and he watched as the nanites around his knuckles shifted and gave way to reveal the Infinity shards that Dr. Banner had hidden within the nanites earlier that day. 

Morana couldn’t see the shards from her perspective, but the Avengers certainly could. A grim silence spread across the field as they understood what he was about to do. 

“Kid. Why did you-”

Peter looked towards Mr. Stark and he could see the panic and fear in his expression. He allowed the nanites to slip away from his head so that he could gaze into the older man’s eyes. 

“Tony.” He whispered the name softly, reveled in the way it sounded on his tongue. 

This was it. The very thing that he had kept close to his heart, not allowing anyone to see it. But if he was going to die, then he wanted Tony to know. So he dragged it up to the surface.

“It’s because I love you.”

And then he snapped his fingers. 

And then the world turned black.  
____________________  
No.

No. 

No no no no _no_.

Tony collapsed on his knees in the dirt. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t fucking breathe.

Peter was gone. The Infinity shards were gone. 

Morana still stood, her dagger hovering in thin air, blood drying on the blade. Peter’s blood.

_It's because I love you._

He felt claustrophobic in the suit. FRIDAY was flashing warnings about the signs of an oncoming panic attack, but he didn’t listen. 

It should’ve been him. 

It should’ve been _him_.

The others around him were tense and preparing for a fight. Morana was still alive.

“Look what you did, Stark,” she spat at him. “You managed to kill the one you love most.”

Tony let out a pained noise, somewhere between a sob and a moan. 

Somewhere, he heard Thor let out a battle cry, but it was too late. Morana had fled the field. The Infinity shards were gone.

Peter was gone.

_It's because I love you._

Tony closed his eyes.  
____________________  
They got back to S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters and Tony could hear shouting in the halls. 

“Ma’am, please-”

“No! Where is he? Where is Peter?”

 _May_. 

He rounded the corner and saw that the woman was arguing with an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who was trying to calm her down. 

When May saw Tony approaching, she rounded on him. “Where is my nephew?”

He couldn’t meet her eyes. He didn’t want to see the tears streaming down her face. Didn't want her knowing that he had failed Peter in every way possible. 

Before he could think of a response, a hand slapped across his face, whipping his head to the right. “You son of a bitch,” May cursed at him. “You killed him. You killed my boy.”

He stared in shock as May was escorted away by the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, the words ringing in his head as her sobs faded away.

 _You killed him._  
____________________  
He had gone back to the penthouse. There was nothing left for him to do but crawl down to the bottom of a bottle. 

Banner and Rhodey had tried to get in, wanting to explain themselves. But he told FRIDAY not to let them up. He was afraid of what he might do to his closest friends. He didn’t have very many these days. 

Time passed. He didn’t know how much, but it didn’t really matter anymore. He spent the hours trying to drink away his pain. He wanted to forget everything. 

He didn’t want these memories of big, brown eyes and wide, innocent smiles. He didn’t want these memories of long hours spent working in the lab, laughing and talking. He didn’t want these memories of movies on the couch and hot chocolate on cold nights and flying together in the sky and-

He didn’t want the memories if he didn’t have _him_ to make new ones with.  
____________________  
“Boss.”

He groaned and shifted in his uncomfortable position on the couch. 

“Boss,” FRIDAY repeated quietly. She had begun to talk to him in a soft voice, ever since...

“...What?” He stuck his hand underneath him and pulled out a bottle that he had been sleeping on. He let the thing fall onto the floor, not caring if it shattered.

“Mrs. Potts is here.”

His head was pounding as he dragged himself into a sitting position. “Don’t let her in.”

The last thing he needed was to see his… wife? Ex? He didn’t even know anymore.

“I’m afraid I cannot,” FRIDAY explained. “She is using Pepper’s Protocol.”

He muttered a curse as he stood up, only stumbling slightly when his vision swirled. “Why did I ever let her make that,” he mumbled to himself.

As the elevator doors opened, he headed to his bar, listening to Pepper’s heels clicking on the tile floors. He found a bottle of something that was hopefully alcoholic and poured himself a glass, drinking it all in one go and letting the liquor burn a path down his throat. 

He could feel Pepper’s eyes on him the entire time, watching him with concern. “What do you want?”

“Tony…” 

He closed his eyes, praying to god that she wouldn’t say what he knew she was about to say. But of course, there was no higher power watching over him. If there was, he wouldn’t be in this situation. 

“I’m sorry.”

Before she could say another word that would remind him of everything that he lost, he said, “Get. Out.”

She sighed. “Tony, you can’t spend the rest of your life drinking in the penthouse.”

“Why not?” He shrugged. It seemed like a good plan to him. 

“Because Peter wouldn’t want this for you.”

The breath was knocked out of him by that name. They very name he had been trying to forget for the past several weeks. “Don’t,” he pleaded as he gripped the countertops tightly. 

“You know I’m right.”

He shook his head, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead. He thought he was going to be sick. “Pep, please. I can’t. Not when he’s-” _Dead_. The word tastes rotten in his mouth. 

“So, bring him back,” she said, as though it was the simplest thing in the world. “You brought him back before. Do it again.”

But Tony shook his head. “No. I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s _dead_!” He hurled the bottle he had been about to drink into the sink, glass shards flying everywhere, but neither of them bothered to move to clean the mess. “Because there is no time machine and no Infinity shards for me to use. Because I have no ideas, no plans, no solutions to raise the dead. Because even if I did, I don’t know if what I brought back would be him.”

Pepper stared at him with eyes full of pity and that only made him feel worse. “But you love him.”

Tony closed his eyes and hung his head and that was answer enough for Pepper. “So,” she said. “Bring him back.”

He didn’t say anything and she took that as her cue to leave, leaving Tony alone, the weight of her words heavy in the silence. 

How was Tony supposed to bring him back? It wasn’t like he had a body that he could pour life back into. Peter was gone. He had vanished into thin air, taking the Infinity shards with him, still encased within the nanites of the Iron Spider suit…

“FRIDAY,” he called out, a glimmer of hope beginning to rise. “Is Peter’s suit still functioning?”

It took the AI a few seconds to answer, but he could have laughed when she said, “Yes. The Iron Spider suit is still operational. However, I am not able to access the visual feed nor can I activate the tracker installed within the Baby Monitor Protocol.”

He waved it off, unable to fight the grin pulling at his lips. “That’s fine. We can fix that.”

His mind was already whirring, firing rapidly on ways to connect with the suit. If he could access the tracker or even get a visual, he would be able to find Peter. He could find a way to bring him back. It was a big universe out there. There _had_ to be a way. Maybe he should talk to the wizard, see if-

“ _Sir_.”

So lost in thought, he hadn’t even realized that FRIDAY was trying to get his attention. 

“What is it?”

The AI showed him a display in the center of the room and Tony knew instantly what he was looking at. “I was able to connect to some of the Iron Spider’s more critical functions,” FRIDAY explained to him. “And I found Peter’s vital signs.”

He waved her off. “I know he’s dead, FRIDAY. I don’t need a reminder of-”

“But sir,” she insisted. 

Tony would have been surprised that FRIDAY had interrupted him under any other circumstance, but then on the display, she pulled up a heart monitor. 

And there was a flat line. 

Tony wanted to demand from his AI why she felt the need to rub Peter’s death in his face, but then he saw it. 

The smallest jump. 

He held his breath as he waited several seconds before there it was again-another flutter in the otherwise flat line of the heart monitor. 

FRIDAY spoke up as he stared at the display in shock. “I believe that Peter is alive.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUH DUH DUH!!! I’m sorry about the cliffhanger, but I kinda had to... it was too good to pass up! Unanswered questions and unresolved conflicts will be covered in the next story! Anyways... I have had such a fun time writing my first fanfic and I am so excited to start the next one! Again, it will be titled “Don’t Leave Me Alone” and I will try and have it posted before July 4th, so keep an eye out for it! Thank you to everyone who left kudos/comments/subscriptions! The feedback I got on this story was more than I could ever hope for!! I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I have! Until next time!!

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter is done! Please do not hesitate to leave comments! I love reading them! I will try and post chapters as quickly as I can and I anticipate that Chapter 2 will be posted within the next week so stay tuned! Until next time!


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